The Beginning After the End
by Marenix
Summary: The invasion of Fiore has been stopped. The battle with Alvarez Empire has left scars on many Fiore wizards, but the deepest scar left is on one of Fairy Tail's most destructive wizard: Natsu Dragneel. How will he deal with everything he learned from Zeref, with everything he did in the war, with the changes he's going through, and with his feelings finally being sorted out? Gratsu
1. The New S-class Wizard Candidates

Enjoy the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The New S-class Wizard Candidates**

It's been a few days since the Alvarez Empire withdrew its army from Ishgar and about three weeks since Acnologia and Zeref's demise. Fairy Tail's guildhall has been repaired, the citizens returned to Magnolia, and Fairy Tail wizards began preparing to start going on quests (at least some of them were).

All guildmembers were in high spirts; they have defeated an enemy far stronger than themselves, after all. The odd thing was, there was one wizard who should be happier than anyone else, who should be boasting about everything he had done in their last struggle. But Natsu Dragneel, the boy who had played the biggest role in the death of both the strongest dragon slayer, the dragon king Acnologia, and the strongest dark wizard, the immortal Zeref, wasn't in the guildhall.

Of course, everyone knew that he was somewhere behind the guild, training, but that just wasn't what they thought he would do, given their past experiences. Not that him training was anything weird or out of the ordinary, but the fact that there was a party going in the guildhall for a few days now, and there was even free food there, but Natsu hadn't shown his face in the guild, was.

Most who tried to go talk to him would fail to even approach him, since his keen senses warned him of their approach, and he would just avoid them. Those few times someone did manage to approach him, they were met with statements like: "I'm fine", "There's nothing going on,", "I'm training,", and the most bizarre of all, "I'm just not hungry."

Finally, on the fourth day of the party, master Makarov had enough. He had decided to organize another S-class wizard promotion trial, something he knew Natsu wouldn't refuse, and other guild members wouldn't need to know that he was doing it for him. The boy had been through more in their fight with the Alvarez Empire than most wizards go through their whole lives. It was only fair to help him get through everything that was weighting him down. After all, shouldn't a father look after his children?

* * *

Makarov rolled to the second-floor railing in his wheelchair. Looking down on his children partying, a smile came on his face. "Listen here, you troublemakers!" he yelled from his spot, and the guildhall went silent, all eyes turning to him. "I have an announcement to make. Get everyone in here. Gray, you go fetch Natsu."

"Why do I have to go get that flame-brain? Even if I find him, he won't want to come here."

"He hasn't been avoiding you, so just do it. And if he gives you any trouble, tell him that if he doesn't get here with you, I'll send Erza for him."

"Fine!" was all that Gray said, before heading out of the guild. There were a few more people leaving, probably going to search for other members which weren't in the guildhall, and as Gray passed through the double doors, he could hear the party resume.

It took him a few minutes to locate Natsu. From what Gray heard from others who managed to approach Natsu, he was always training. But anytime he had approached him, he was sitting next to the river, his back against the tree, his eyes watching the rushing water in front of him. Just as any other time he had seen him since the whole Alvarez invasion thing, the look on his face screamed that he needed help, that something was wrong, but the squinty-eyed idiot wouldn't admit it to anyone. A few times Gray tried to press him, Natsu just stood up and said he was going home, and after a few of those 'incidents' Gray just stopped asking him. He figured his best friend would talk to him when he was ready.

"What do you want droopy-eyes?" Natsu asked before Gray could say a word. He could hear the hurt in his voice, and it broke Gray's heart to hear it coming from his best friend.

Gray hoped Natsu would come with him, without him having to resort to threats of Erza coming, even if these days it was more for the old time's sake than an actual threat. "Gramps said he has something to say and sent me to fetch you flame-breath. So, come on!"

"Sure," Natsu said, getting off the ground and following Gray, which quite surprised him. After all, Natsu hadn't been to the guildhall since it was rebuilt.

They headed back in complete silence, only the sounds of nature around them. In the last few weeks, Gray tried everything he could come up with. After failing to talk to Natsu about whatever was bothering him, he tried to goad Natsu into fighting him, which went even worse than talking, Natsu looking him straight in the eyes, no fire left in his black eyes. He tried to apologize for thinking of using ice shell, for wanting to kill him when he found out that E.N.D. was actually Etherious Natsu Dragneel, tried to get Natsu to talk to him about anything, but the results were always the same. That is to say, there weren't any.

After reaching the guild doors, Gray looked back at Natsu who was following him a few steps behind, and saw him widening his fake, wide grin, showing his sharp fangs on his face. Someone who didn't know the dragon slayer wouldn't find anything odd on his face, but Gray knew that there wasn't anyone in their guild who would be fooled by it. He was silently glad that his best friend hadn't tried to hide what he was feeling from him so obviously, because seeing him like this hurt more than seeing him as he was by the river.

They entered the guild, and the roar that was heard from the outside immediately disappeared. Silence that gathered in the guildhall was thicker than the silence after their master spoke. All eyes turned towards the two who entered, and after a few seconds every eye that was on Gray shifted onto the boy besides him. The ice-make wizard could see that his assumption was correct; nobody was fooled. But his friend either hadn't noticed, or more likely, pretended not to.

Going to sit at their usual sits at the bar, neither of them spoke, and all the eyes in the guild were still glued on Natsu, though no one made any move.

After Natsu and Gray took their sits, their master spoke from above them. "Since long ago, this has been Fairy Tail's tradition…" Everyone was turning around. Nobody knew what was going on. There wasn't anything planned, the closest thing being Fantasia which wasn't for another few months.

But even as everyone tried to figure out what was going on, Gramps continued, "… and now I've decided to break it. Last year Fairy Tail didn't exist, at least the guild hasn't, and for seven years before that, more than half of the guild was missing, trapped on Tenrou Island. After taking that into consideration and after seeing everything you, my children, went through, and how bravely you fought, I decided to make an exception and host two S-class wizard promotion trials this year."

At those words a cheer went through the hall, but out of the corner of his eye, Gray saw that Natsu's eyes were as fireless as they were for the last few weeks, even if his cheer was the loudest. As the excitement still lingered in the air, the guild master continued.

"Now, one of the trials will happen at the traditional time, but the other will be held right now, and I've already selected ten participants. Those participants are: Mest Gryder, Levy McGarden, Freed Justine, Cana Alberona, Elfman Strauss, Juvia Lockser, Lucy Heartfilia, Gajeel Redfox, Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel." There was a big uproar in the guild, but Natsu smile was still fake, even though this was something that he wanted since he joined the guild. What Gray found suspicious was that Lucy didn't look all that surprised. It almost looked like she knew that this was coming.

"Now before you start looking for partners, there is something that I would like to say. I've chosen these ten guild members, because I am sure, without any doubt, that these members have what it takes to be S-class wizards. And I don't just mean that they are strong enough to be considered S-class, although their strength is more than enough. I mean that they know what consequences their actions will have and they can stop themselves before doing anything too reckless." Gramp's eyes drifted towards Natsu, and nobody in the guild missed that, judging by their snickers.

After a few seconds the master continued, "Because of their past achievements, especially in our last struggle, I don't need any proof of their strength. But where would the fun be in just giving them S-class?" master said more childishly then anything Gray ever heard from the fire dragon slayer.

"So, this time you will form pairs with other participants. That means that there will only be five teams. Furthermore, there won't be any official trial. Each team will choose one ten-year job, and whoever manages to complete it before the next S-class wizard promotion trail starts will be promoted. Don't waste these six months." There was a complete silence in the hall. Nothing like this has ever been done, and the tension was palpable.

Gray thought back to the S-class quest Natsu, Lucy, Erza and him did on Galuna Island. After that whole ordeal was over with, he had asked the flame-breath idiot why he took that job. Of course, he didn't want to give any answer, but after a lot of pestering and a lot of brawls, he hinted that the only reason he took that job was because he couldn't get to the panel which held a hundred-year jobs. This wasn't a hundred-year job, but Gray was happy to finally notice fire in Natsu's eyes, even if it was just a spark. He would make sure to nurture that spark and turn it into an inferno worthy of the son of The Fire Dragon King.

"Of course, I understand that this isn't like other trials, which, although they were dangerous, they couldn't get you killed. So I'm offering two choices to those who aren't a hundred percent sure about going into such a danger. First one is that you can drop out from this trial. There won't be any repercussions, and you will probably be selected for the trial at the end of the year. The second one keeps you in the trial. You can choose one S-class wizard to go along with you. They will be forbidden from helping you in any way, but if you choose, or if they see that there is no other way, they will help you, at which point they will complete the job, and you will have failed the trial. Make sure you come to me with the job you've chosen, and GOOD LUCK!"

As soon as Makarov said that, Natsu jumped off the stool he sat on, less enthusiastically than usually, Gray noted, and headed straight toward Lucy. He saw the flame-brain talking to the celestial wizard, and Lucy shaking her head pointing towards Cana. Gray hoped he could do this trial with squinty-eyes, not just to help his friend, but because there was something he wanted to talk to him about. During their battle with Alvarez Empire, he had decided that he would sort his thoughts after that ordeal, but with the mood the fire wizard was in, there just wasn't a good moment to figure the thing that bothered him the most. This trial would be the perfect chance.

Still staring at Natsu and Lucy's conversation, he saw the celestial wizard's head indicating him. He quickly turned around, looking at the bar, when something clicked in his head. The whole reason for this trial became clear to him. Gramps must've seen the condition Natsu was in and decided to do something about it. Seeing as Gray was the only one who the pink-haired boy allowed close every time he went looking for him, Gramps must've decide to pair them together on this trial. And out of all the participants, Lucy would be the first Natsu would turn to, so Gramps told her his plans, and that's why she wasn't all that surprised when she heard about the trials. _Well he would have to talk to me if we'll spend six months together,_ Gray thought, finally seeing a way to help his friend, even if it was just to be there for him until he decided to talk.

Completely absorbed in his thoughts, Gray hadn't even sensed Juvia approaching him.

"Gray-sama?" she asked.

"What is it Juvia?" he retorted, although he already knew what it was, and the answer he would give. Gray could feel Natsu's eyes on his back as he faced Juvia.

"Juvia would like to do the trial with Gray-sama." she answered, looking like a sad puppy hoping to be praised and petted.

Gray thought for a few seconds, coming up with an answer that would turn her down, and at the same time not reveal anything he was thinking. He could see hope rising in her eyes as he thought what to say, and the feeling of Natsu watching him became almost unbearable. Fire wizard's keen ears were listening to his conversation, no doubt, and thinking of that, Gray thought about Juvia's proposal.

"I told you I'd give you an answer after our fight with Alvarez Empire is over. Before I do that, there is something I have to do. I promise to give you my answer after we both return from our ten-year jobs, whether we become S-class wizards or not. I'm sorry, but I thought I would be ready sooner," he said casually and truthfully. He hadn't revealed anything he didn't want, and Juvia would give him space because he needed it.

"Juvia understands," she replied, nodding, and turned to go look for another partner. Gray felt bad for doing this to her, but he had to sort his own feelings before anything else.

A few moments later, Natsu came back to his stool at the bar. "So, no partner?" he asked cheerfully, but Gray could still hear the same hurt in his voice he heard back at the river.

"Do you eavesdrop on everyone's conversations, squinty-eyes?" he retorted, testing the waters between them.

"Nope, just the ones I'm interested in, droopy-eyes," he answered. Gray was glad to hear Natsu's words, even though the relationship between the two still wasn't to what it was before the whole Alvarez thing, not even close to it.

"Well, at least I'm the one who told her no, whereas Lucy was the one to reject you, although I can't say I blame her."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black. And what do you mean you can't blame her, ice princess!?" Natsu said as he stood from the stool to stand above Gray, his fists ready for a fight. If it weren't for the look in his onyx eyes, Gray would have totally forgot about the last few weeks. As it was, there was no way he would fight with the fire wizard until it had more meaning than just to cover the state he was in.

"You know exactly what I mean flame-breath." Gray talked normally, this time not trying to cause a fight, while Natsu, hearing his tone and words, sat back down. "The way you've been avoiding everyone, sulking somewhere in the forest behind the guild. Do you think that anyone was fooled by that fake smile you put on your face before we entered the guildhall? How many times have you talked with Lucy in the past few weeks? Everyone's worried about you, and you're just avoiding everyone. Did you really expect to just come back like nothing happened?" Gray said, looking to the side at the fire dragon slayer. He could see misery back on fire wizard's face, but it was something that his friend should work through and not hide behind a fake smile.

"Great! So now you'll want to talk about it again?" Natsu asked, not looking pleased about where the conversation was heading.

"No," Gray answered, which visibly surprised the fire wizard.

After a few moments of silence, Natsu finally spoke, asking what he came there to ask. "Do you want to do the trial together?" He probably thought that there was a good chance that Gray would say no, especially with what Gray just said, He didn't know that the ice-make wizard wanted to do this with his friend, just as much as Natsu needed to do it with him. "I mean, there isn't anyone else I'm close enough to ask. Cana is with Lucy, Gajeel will probably go with Levy, and the other four: Freed, Elfman, Mest and Juvia aren't really someone I spend all that much time with. If you refuse, I'll probably just do it with whoever's left in the end."

"I'll do it under one condition," Gray answered.

"And what would that be?" Natsu asked, after he took a few moments to process what Gray just said. His face showed that he thought Gray would ask for something embarrassing in return, or at least something the fire dragon slayer wouldn't like.

"Before this job is done, you'll tell me why you've been acting the way you have for the past few weeks. Deal?"

"Sure… It's not like I could keep it a secret for another six months," Natsu answered, with a sincere chuckle.

"Then we have a team!"

Gray saw Gramps looking at them from above, a small smile on his face, probably congratulating himself on his successful mission.


	2. The Job They Took

**Chapter 2: The Job They Took**

After Gray and Natsu formed the team, they each ordered some food, filling their stomachs. As they ate, Gray noted that Natsu looked more and more like his old self. Sure, he knew that something still bothered the fire wizard, but Salamander promised to tell him what had him down for the last few weeks, and the ice-make wizard could wait for him to open up. But with the things as they were then, Gray knew that the fire dragon slayer should be back to his old self before they left on the job, even with that speck of darkness about which nobody knew anything about.

During their lunch, they saw other teams that have formed, going up to the second floor. First ones to go up were Lucy and Cana. After the eating wizards saw the girls leaving the guildhall with a flyer, Gray spoke up.

"Maybe we should have taken a job before we started eating. There are obviously at least five jobs, but who knows what will be left once we get up there." It wasn't that he thought that there could be a job they couldn't complete, but having different options always helped.

"You afraid we'll be left with the hardest one? It's not like we would take an easy one anyway," Natsu laughed. _It's probably the first time he had been happy since the whole ordeal with the Alvarez Empire_ , Gray thought.

"You do understand that there won't be any easy ones, don't you flame-breath? All those jobs haven't been completed in at least a decade. They were probably at least S-class jobs before. Gramps really meant it when he said that he could promote us all to S-class," Gray said. He indented to continue but his partner was shaking his head. "What?"

"As far as I can see, there is only one team he trusts to complete this job. After Lucy and Cana left, he sent Gildarts after them even though they didn't ask for any S-class wizard to accompany them. He told him to stay out of sight, and to absolutely make sure not to be seen by the two. And since there are only four S-class wizards in Fairy Tail, either he expected two people wouldn't participated, which is unlikely, or he believed that there will be a team which wouldn't need any help."

"Wow, who thought you could thing logically when you try, flame-brain." Gray was genuinely surprised. He knew Natsu wasn't as stupid as he pretended to be. Sure, he thought with his stomach when food was near, and most of the times he fought on pure instinct, but he wasn't stupid. What surprised him was how Natsu said all that matter-of-factly, like it was normal. As far as Gray could see, his friend kept his stupid act just so he could go on destroying anything in his path, and have people think that he does that because he can't help it.

"Shut it, ice princess. Well, at least we know which team won't have anyone shadowing them, right?" Natsu asked, and Gray thought he saw concern on his face.

"You mean us? Did you hear something? And what's with that face?"

"Of course I meant us. Lucy and Cana got Gildarts, Gramps sent Erza after Gajeel and Levy, Mest and Elfman requested Mirajane, and it's obvious that Freed will request Laxus. And what's wrong with my face?"

"Well, right now, it looks like your concerned about something." Gray could see Natsu distancing himself more and more, going back to how Gray found him. It was good that they were almost finished with their lunch.

"Nothing," he said, and then quickly added with a light, and Gray noted fake, chuckle, "I just thought how we were probably the team that needed someone to watch over us the most, what with all the destruction we do." Even though his words were true, there was no way Natsu would ever admit that, which meant that something more was going on there. But as he saw the fire wizard's concerned face, as he saw his partner looking around the guild, trying not to look at Gray, he felt Natsu wanted to stop their conversation, so he knew that it wasn't the time to press him.

The ice-make wizard decided to change the subject, to at least keep Natsu talking. It was only a few weeks, but he had missed Salamander, their fights, their banter, and his presence in the guild. "You know, there was another reason to get to the job board first."

Natsu's head immediately snapped back to face Gray, and Gray could see that Natsu was glad for the change of subject. "And what's that?"

"When you're taking a job there's more you look for than simply how hard it is. You look at how much money it brings, how long it will take you to complete, and… what I thought you would be worried about more than anything else, how far it is." As Gray finished, he saw Natsu's face turning a little green. _Well, that did the job,_ Gray thought, as he laughed.

"Bastard. You could have said something sooner!" Natsu said, although he looked more sick than angry. "At least I'll get to try those pills," he murmured, more to himself than to Gray.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked intrigued.

"Oh, yea, you don't know. Apparently during the Grand Magic Games last year, princess Hisui saw Gajeel, Sting and me in that second game, and our struggle with motion sickness, and decided to finance research into it. A week ago, I got a package from her with what she says will help us with our motion sickness. I talked with Sting and Rogue and apparently, it works for them. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's get our job," Natsu said, standing from the bar and going for the stairs.

Gray followed him, and together they made their way to the job board on the second floor, the one that held the ten-year jobs. There were far more jobs than Gray had imagined, about a dozen of them. As he sifted through them, he saw just how much jewels a wizard earns with each of these jobs. With that much jewels, they could lead the rest of their lives without any more jobs. At least if you ignore their need for fights and the fun they have, that is.

There wasn't any job in particular that Gray found he wanted to do, so he left the decision to Natsu. After a few moments, the fire mage took a flyer from the board and handed it to Gray.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Gray looked at the flyer. It sounded simple enough: Go to this place and clear it of monsters. Of course, if it were simple, it wouldn't have been on this board. He turned the flyer around, to look at the notes of the wizards who went on the job but couldn't complete it. Apparently, the monsters weren't the biggest problem, although it said that there seemed to be more monsters in that one place than in the rest of Fiore. A dark guild apparently made its guildhall in that area and they were what was attracting the monsters there. Gray would have liked to take their whole team on a job like this, but that wasn't an option, and from what he saw, this job was one of the easier ones on the board.

But something just wasn't right. Not just had Natsu Dragneel, the boy who wanted to take any chance he could get to test his strength, chosen an 'easy' job, but the place they needed to go was a forest far away from anything and anyone else. Which was weird for someone who uses flashy magic and can't wait to show off to everyone. Gray couldn't remember the last time Natsu chose a job where he couldn't show off. _Whatever Natsu's problem is, it's changing him, that much's clear. Whether for the better or worse it remained to be seen, but it might actually stop his destruction of everything in his path,_ Gray thought. Not that Gray had anything against his nature. In fact, he found it quite adorable, his destructive, childlike nature.

Obviously now wasn't the time to mention any of this, so he decided to answer Natsu's question instead. "I think this is a perfect job for us. A simple clear the area mission, no one and nothing around so we can go all out." Was Gray imagining things, or had Natsu flinched slightly when he was ending his sentence with "go all out"? Whatever it was, the fact was that there was nothing they could destroy, and nobody innocent they could injure in their battle, which meant that they wouldn't have to write any letters of apology, at least not for this job.

"Yea, you're right. Maybe we can finish one job without anyone complaining about us," Natsu said, grinning widely, showing his white fangs. But despite that happy face, Gray saw concern creep back onto the fire wizard's face.

"If you're sure, we can go show Gramps the job we chose."

Natsu answered by nodding, and starting for master's office.

A moment of walking later, they were knocking onto the wooden door.

"Come in!" came Gramps' voice from inside. They opened the door and went inside. Once they stood in front of the master's desk, the small man started speaking. "I expected Natsu's team to be the first one to pick a job and start their trial, especially after I saw that you were with him Gray." The ice-make wizard was looking at the pink-haired boy until he heard his name, when he turned toward the old man sitting behind the desk. He knew Gramps hadn't notice, and he wasn't sure if anyone would besides him, but Gray saw on the fire dragon slayer's face that he knew this was all Gramps' plan. Lucy may have even told him.

"Six months is more than enough time for a job, even if it is one of the ten-year ones," Gray answered.

"Besides, food's more important than a few hours for a job we have six months to complete," Natsu added, making Gramps chuckle lightly.

"Yes, you're right. So, what job have you selected?" Gramps asked, and Gray handed him the flyer. "This job is one of the last ones put on that board, and not many wizards have tried their hand at it. There isn't anything more we know about the dark guild besides what it says on this flyer. Here you go Gray," Gramps said as he gave the flyer back. "Be careful, and good luck!" he said and waved them out of his office.

They exited the office, and on their way out of the guild, they decided to meet at the train station in three hours. They both went home to pack for the journey.

Gray headed straight home, going through everything he'll need on this mission. For a journey like this, it would take them six hours of train ride, and then, from the closest town, it would take them approximately a week of walking to get to the center of the forest where the dark guild was located. It all depends on how strong the enemy wizards were, but it shouldn't take them more than a month or two if they were able, and there wasn't any doubt in Gray's mind that they were, to finish the job.

He reached his apartment, unlocked the door and entered. He found his backpack and started packing for their long journey. Just then, he realized that the amount of their name calling has fallen. _Maybe Natsu's mood is affecting me too,_ Gray thought. _I'll have to work on that,_ he decided with a smile.

* * *

After leaving the guildhall and Gray behind, Natsu headed towards the path that lead back to his house. He wasn't intending on going home just yet. He needed to find Happy, explain everything that's going on, since he wasn't in the guildhall when Gramps made the announcement, and to apologize for how he was acting the last couple of weeks. If it hadn't been for the S-class wizard promotion trials, which Natsu was sure Gramps organized for him, he would still sit at his spot behind the guild, looking at the rushing water in front of him.

Before he got to his house, Natsu reached a fork in the path, took a trail that lead to the river, and started looking for his little blue friend. He soon spotted Happy, fishing.

"Hey, Happy!" Natsu called out. By his reaction, Natsu knew that his friend hadn't sensed him coming, or even expected him.

"Natsu! Did you finally get over whatever was bothering you? Can we do stuff together now?" Happy asked hopefully.

"Where you at the guild today? I haven't seen you," Natsu asked, ignoring Happy's questions for now.

"You were at the guild?" Happy asked in incredulity. "And no, I've been fishing here all day. Look how many fishes I've caught!" Happy explained, showing Natsu a basket, full almost to the top with fishes.

"Wow, and they look yummy." Happy looked pleased with himself. "Gramps had an announcement to make, and he sent Gray to get me so I had to go."

"Really? And what did he say?" Happy asked, and Natsu saw a sad look in his eyes, probably because nobody asked him to come.

"Gramps said there will be two S-class wizard promotion trials this year, and he announced the participants for the first one. I'm one of them." Natsu was really looking forward to becoming an S-class wizard, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to smile. He wouldn't just be leaving Happy home alone for up to six months, he was acting like a jerk for the last few weeks toward him too. So, if anything, his mood was even worse at that moment then it was in the weeks after the end of Alvarez's invasion.

Happy seemed to have sensed this, left his fishing pole, and came to hug Natsu. "Don't worry Natsu, I'll stay with Lisanna." After a few moments, Happy realized something and pulled away from the fire dragon slayer. "She isn't going on the trial, is she?" Happy asked trying to keep his face hopeful, but panic overcoming it.

Natsu chuckled at the expression on Happy's face. "Don't worry, buddy, she's staying here. I'll go with you and ask her if you can stay with her, okay?" Natsu asked pulling Happy closer again.

"Aye. So, when does the trial begin?"

"It already started," Natsu said simply.

"What do you mean it already started!? What are you still doing here, then?" Now panic really covered Happy's whole face.

"I guess that since Gramps broke the tradition of having S-class wizard promotion trials at the end of the year, he wanted to make this trial special." Of course, Natsu guessed that this was all planned. Gramps probably wanted to pair him with Gray, because he allowed the ice-make wizard near him every time he searched, even though Gramps didn't know why Natsu did that.

"He chose ten participants, everyone from the last trial plus Lucy and Gajeel. And instead of pairing with someone else from Fairy Tail, we formed teams of two with other participants. The teams chose one of ten-year jobs, and if we finish it before the next trial, we'll be promoted." He didn't try to put up a fake smile for his friend. He was done hiding behind that mask. After he formed a team with Gray, he had decided that before they finished this job, he would tell him everything that was bothering him. Some of the things he would have to tell him before they reached their destination, and he felt guilty, because after Gray learns the burden that weights Natsu down, he may decide to drop out of the trial. After the way he acted towards everyone, and especially towards Gray, the ice-make wizard still decided to form a team with him. Natsu didn't know if he could even move if the weight of having Gray give up on S-class in this trial because of him, is added to his shoulders.

"And you formed a team with Lucy?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"No, actually, Gray and I are doing the job together," Natsu corrected Happy's wrong assumption.

"Gray? Why not Lucy?" Happy asked, clearly confused.

"Well, she was already with Cana, by the time I asked her. Anyway, I'm going back home to pack. Can you come meet me there in half an hour, and we'll go to Lisanna together? I'm supposed to meet Gray at the train station in two hours." Natsu turned to leave but stopped hearing Happy's voice.

"Wait. I have enough fishes, I'll go home with you."

"I'd like that, buddy," Natsu said, as he went to pick the basket full of fishes. Happy took his fishing pole, and together they started home, Natsu telling Happy about the job they took.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the two stood before the door to the Strauss family house, Natsu knocking on the door. After a few moments, the door swung open, and the only member of the family left home opened the door.

"Hi Lisanna!" Natsu and Happy said together.

"Happy. Natsu? Shouldn't you be on the job? Aren't you in the S-class trials?" Lisanna asked, clearly surprised with Natsu standing in front of her house.

"Yea, I'm going," Salamander answered, showing the backpack on his shoulder to his childhood friend. "I came to ask you if you could look after Happy while I'm gone."

"I brought fishes," Happy interjected before Lisanna could answer, showing her a basket full of fishes. "I fished them myself today!" he said proudly.

"Good job!" Lisanna answered, while petting Happy. "And of course I'll look after him. I am his mother, after all," she said with a small blush.

"Thanks Lisanna! Gray and I will clear that dark guild before you know it. You'll see, we'll be the first Fairy Tail wizards to become S-class in almost a decade," Natsu grinned widely, showing his sharp fangs, forgetting about everything that was weighting him down, even if just for a moment.

"I'll see you when I get back!" Natsu shouted back, waving to his friends as he headed towards the train station, and a new adventure.


	3. A Part of His Secret

**Chapter 3: A Part of His Secret**

By the time Gray arrived at the train station, Natsu was already waiting for him there with tickets in his hand. As he handed one of the tickets to Gray as he spoke.

"Seems we're lucky. Our train leaves in fifteen minutes. Come on, let's get on." It may just have been Gray's imagination, but the fire mage seemed better, even if not by much.

As they walked toward their train, the ice-make wizard noticed Salamander taking a pill, no doubt the pill against motion sickness he was talking about. They entered the vehicle, and Gray sat facing Natsu. As soon as the train began moving, Gray regretted his choice.

"You're hopeless, flame-brain," ice-make wizard said, as he saw Natsu's face turning green. "Seems like nothing can help you with your motion sickness." Gray actually felt sorry for the fire dragon slayer sitting across him, especially after what he managed to say, with difficulty, next.

"I… ugh… don't get it," Natsu said, clutching his stomach. Retching every few seconds, he continued, "Sting an- ugh… and Rogue… the- ugh… they said it wo- ugh… it works for them."

"Maybe you're just to powerful, or something…" Gray tried to console him. "If you don't want to feel like this for six hours, try to sleep. Or I could knock you out, like Erza," Gray offered.

"N-n-no, I'll… ugh… I'll sleep." Natsu answered, lying down and closing his eyes. How he managed to fall asleep with the sickness he must've been feeling, Gray didn't know.

The six-hour train ride went by with the fire dragon slayer sleeping, and the ice-make wizard thinking about his partner. "Why was Natsu acting this way?", "What was he so concerned about?", "What could I do?" and the question to which he kept coming back time and time again: "How will I tell him?". The only thing Gray figured out on the six-hour ride was that calling Natsu names felt more like insulting his friend than friendly banter, and he decided to stop it, at least until the fire mage started acting like his old self again.

After arriving to their destination, they got off the train, and Gray gave Natsu some time to recover from the ride, not that he needed it after the ice-make wizard mentioned food.

They walked through the little town they were in, the only light coming from the open windows of some of the houses they walked by. Gray suggested looking for an inn, since they would have to stay the night in the town anyway, and Natsu really didn't care about anything else that wasn't food.

The duo soon found the only inn in the town, the one someone at the train stop told them about. It wasn't anything fancy, but then again, it wasn't like they could afford something fancy. And it wasn't just them. Most of Fairy Tail's wizards were out of jewels. Since emperor Spriggan (AKA Zeref) attacked Fiore to get his hands on Fairy Heart, they felt responsible for all the destruction. So, they decided that they could at least repair Magnolia. The guild didn't have any jewels, since it didn't exist for a year, so the members used their own money to help repair what was destroyed. It turned out that the city was quite damaged, and nobody expected they'd need so many jewels to rebuild Kardia Cathedral. After they repaired or hired workers to repair what needed to be repaired, everything they had left (except for a small amount they would need on a job, of course), they gave to the guild for the party, and to feed the wizards until they started going on jobs again.

They were about to enter the inn, when Natsu spoke. "Here you go, Gray."

Gray started to turn around, "What is i-." He looked at himself, "When did this happen!?" Taking the clothes Natsu must've picked up as Gray unclothed along the way, he muttered, "Thanks," before opening the door and heading in, the fire mage following after him. The ice-make wizard could feel the smirk on Salamander's face, and rather than making him angry, it gave him hope. Hope that his friend was turning back to his old self.

"Good evening!" the receptionist greeted them with a wide smile and an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Good evening," Gray replied, while Natsu went with his usual greeting, "Hi."

"We would like a room," Gray spoke up, "with two beds, if you have one."

"Certainly, sir. And how long will you be staying?" the receptionist replied.

"Just for a night."

"That will be four thousand jewels."

"Here you go," Gray said as he gave money to the lady. He didn't even bother to ask Natsu to pitch in, since the fire mage didn't have money at the best of times. "Oh, do you still serve food?"

"Yes, the kitchen is open for another hour. After you leave your luggage in your room, enter the room to the right," she said, indicating with her hand to the door right of them.

"OK, thank you."

"Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your visit to our little town!" the receptionist told them as they went up the stairs, towards their room. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gray thought to himself that smiling like that must hurt and hence the uncomfortable expression.

They went to their room and left their backpacks there (Natsu's having a sleeping bag on top of it as usual, but this time even Gray brought one, since after today there won't pass through any other settlement, and they'll have to sleep outside).

After locking their room, they went to the room the receptionist pointed out. It was a small room, only a few dining tables, but more than enough for a small-town inn like this one. The room was completely empty. They chose a table, sat at it and soon ordered some food. Gray noticed that his pink-haired friend ordered more food than he had during their lunch that day. _More than a single person could eat_ , he thought, _but still not nearly as much as Natsu usually ate_.

During their dinner, they decided on their next step. The fire dragon slayer suggested that they head out with the first rays of sun, and the ice-make wizard agreed with him. It was still pretty early, so they would get enough sleep, and by the time the temperature raises too high (which Natsu probably wouldn't mind), they'd have entered the forest already. So, once the dinner was over, they went back to their room.

Natsu was the first one to take a shower. After he was done, he came out of the bathroom in his fire patterned pajamas, saying, "You can go in," to Gray. As usual, the fire mage had neatly folded clothes in his arm, only his scarf remaining around his neck from his daily attire, and the bathroom behind him was full of steam.

Gray waited some time for that steam to leave the bathroom, and by the time he went to take the shower, the pink-haired wizard was already sleeping. After the ice-make wizard took his cold shower, dried himself with a towel, he entered their room and went to his bed, ready to sleep.

* * *

Natsu was sitting in a small house at a table, in a village whose name he didn't know. He wasn't alone. Across the table from him, there sat a well-built man in his thirties. The man had pink hair like Nastu, although not as wild looking and spiky as his. The onyx eyes watching him, shone more brilliantly then the brightest stars in the sky, and his smile lit the whole room with its brilliance.

The woman that sat next to the man and Natsu, looked as beautiful as he imagined a fairy would. Her black, long hair was in total contrast to the brilliant, short, pink hair of the man, but her eyes shone as brilliantly as his. Her face wasn't adorned with a smile, nevertheless he knew she was happy. She was looking across the table. That's when Natsu turned his head.

The woman was looking at a small boy sitting at the table. He was a lot younger then Natsu (or was he a few years older than him?), and his hair was as dark as the woman's. His black eyes shone with the brilliance of childish wonder.

Natsu looked down and saw that he was right: The boy was a few years older than him.

Just as he figured who these people were, just as he thought that he was back home, with the parents that love him and his brother more than anyone else in the world, that he was with the brother who he loved and, who loved him, more than anyone else, the scene started to shift.

"NO!" he shouted, as if his words could bring him back home. "No! No! No!" he was shouting the entire time the scene shifted, until he figured that he wasn't shouting because he wanted to go home anymore.

In front of him stood the boy he saw just a second ago, but he looked ten or so years older. "No! You're lying!" Natsu shouted at him, with tears of anger in his eyes. The man before him, the dark wizard Zeref, the immortal wizard who lived for more than four hundred years, was telling him, a boy no older than twenty years, that he was his brother.

The man, with the face of a boy, looked at him sadly. He also had tears in his eyes and streaming down his face, but Natsu knew he was crying for a completely different reason than he, himself, was. The man before him was happy to see his brother again, and he was sad because the brother that once loved him more than anybody else didn't remember him.

"Natsu, please listen to me," the man was saying calmly, but Natsu wasn't hearing him. "I'll explain everything, just please, listen to me."

"Shut up, liar!" Natsu yelled, fisted his hands, and ran for the man while closing his eyes.

His fist connected with someone's chest, but the punch was a lot weaker than he expected. Then he realized he was crying from sadness. Natsu opened his eyes, and he saw his fists connecting with the chest of his brother's limp body.

"No!" he was screaming, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "You can't leave me alone here. Why is everyone leaving me!" he was screaming and crying, all the while his fists connecting with the limp form below him. Then he looked at his hands and noticed them covered with a red, thick liquid. It didn't take him long to figure what it was, and then he started screaming louder and wilder then he ever did in his life.

He woke up with a start. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was, process the silence and the darkness of the room. He used the next couple of moments to slow his racing heart and wipe his tear stricken face. As he did that, he heard something normal ears could never hear: Gray's breathing. He wasn't sleeping.

"Was I talking?" the fire mage asked, fearing the answer. He wasn't ready to talk to Gray yet, at least not about this.

"No. Well, nothing loud enough for me to understand."

Happy told him a few times that he was screaming loud enough for the blue Exceed to hear in the next room. Natsu was glad it wasn't one of those nightmares.

"Was it a nightmare?" Gray asked, almost inaudible.

"I don't want to talk about it," Natsu answered, turning away from the ice-make wizard, and burying his face in his scarf as deep as he could. His friend didn't say anything else, and the fire wizard soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next day went by uneventful. Gray didn't ask the fire dragon slayer anything about the nightmare he had the night before. He figured Salamander would talk about it when he was ready. By the time they stopped for a lunch (fish Natsu caught, and some fruits and berries Gray found), they had already spent at least two hours in the shadow of the dense forest. After they ate, they continued their journey, walking until the nightfall, when they made camp. The duo ate some of the leftovers from lunch, and some food they brought with them, before going to sleep.

They woke up with the sun the next morning, and after a light breakfast, the boys continued their journey. The second day was going by without anything eventful happening, at least until the monsters showed up.

Natsu wanted some fresh food for dinner, so they stopped while the sun was still out. The fire mage went to hunt, while the ice-make wizard built a fireplace, gathered some wood, and waited for the fire dragon slayer to return with their dinner, and to light the fire. He didn't have to wait long for the pink-haired wizard to return, with a few rabbits in his hands. Once they had fire, and as they began preparing rabbits, Natsu suddenly turned his head upward, looking through the forest.

"What is it?" Gray asked, seeing the fire mage looking around.

"Shhh," the fire dragon slayer answered with a finger on his lips.

It didn't take long for him to see what Natsu was looking for. From the direction they were heading for, there came at least a few dozen monsters of every kind. As soon as Gray spotted them, the whole world turned red. It took him a second to realize what was happening. He remembered Lucy telling him about Natsu's 'performance' at the last Grand Magic Games. How he entered the arena and used fire hot enough to burn the stones of the arena, just because he could, and Gray had to admit that it looked awesome.

But as suddenly as the fire came it disappeared. During that second it took him to realize what was happening, the second the whole world burned red for him, he didn't take his eyes off the monsters. If he hadn't seen them with his own eyes a few moments before, he wouldn't believe that there had been any monsters there. The fire mage didn't just burn them. In that one second he used his magic, all the monsters were turned to ash, ashes scattered to the wind.

Gray couldn't believe what he just saw. What surprised him more than the fact that Natsu had such a powerful attack, more than the fact that at least a few dozen monsters were defeated more than a hundred meters away from there in less than a second, more than a fact that the fire dragon slayer wasn't boasting to Gray about how he defeated the monsters, was the fact that he used that attack. The pink-haired wizard was always looking for fights in which he could test his strength, and for that reason he liked to get up close and personal, fight his every opponent face to face.

Had they not been heading for a job this dangerous, Gray would probably let Natsu take his time, allow him to bring the topic whenever he felt ready to talk about it, but since this job would be hard even if their whole team were there, he would have to talk to the fire mage. After all, they work so good together because they knew how the other acted in the fight. If the fire dragon slayers fighting style had changed the ice-make wizard needed to know, not just so he could adapt to it, but to know when and how he needed to protect the pink-haired boy's back. He decided to talk to Salamander before they went to sleep, but right now, they needed food.

Gray watched the fire wizard since the monster incident, all the way through dinner, and the only thing on his face was misery. He didn't look happy or pleased with how he got rid of the monsters. What the ice-make wizard also found interesting, was the control Natsu had over his flames. He didn't burn anything other than the monsters, and the area engulfed in flames was a circle with a radius of at least a hundred meters. Since it looked like the whole world had turned red to the ice-make wizard, he really couldn't say how big of an area was engulfed in the fire mage's flames. He just knew that he saw monsters a hundred meters from them turn to ash.

Once they ate and cleaned everything, just before Gray spoke, Natsu looked at him and said, "You want to know why I killed them like that." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Gray answered, staring at the fire.

"Do you think I'm human?" Natsu suddenly asked quietly, after a few minutes of silence.

"Wha-!? Why would you ask me that?" Gray answered with a question. He couldn't even think, what with the sudden change of topic and the pain he heard in his friend's voice.

"Do you think I'm human?" Natsu repeated calmly, still looking straight at Gray.

The ice-make wizard decided that it would be easier just to answer the question. "I don't know," he answered. "I mean, you can eat fire, and that's not something a normal human can. But whether that makes you and other dragon slayers not human, I don't know."

"That's not what I meant. Do you think I'm a human, or a…" the fire wizard looked away, and added quietly, "a demon?"

Gray almost laughed. "Is that what you were so worried the last couple of weeks, why you stayed away from the guild?" the ice-make wizard said, looking up, but Natsu wouldn't look at him. "If that's what you want to know, then as far as I'm concerned, you're as human as a dragon slayer can be. You said you destroyed the demon seed inside of you. If that's not enough, you said Zeref told you that your life was connected to that book, the book of E.N.D. Well, Lucy and I were there when it disappeared and you're still here. Even if you were a demon, you're still the same person we knew for all those years. Nobody in the guild would look at you any differently."

"But what if I'm not the same person anymore?" the fire mage said, looking anywhere but at Gray.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the ice-make wizard said, his anger starting to surface upon hearing his friend say all this crap about himself.

"What if I've changed?"

"Changed how!?" Gray said, almost yelling.

Salamander was quiet for a few minutes. Just as Gray thought that the pink-haired wizard intended to end their conversation here, Natsu spoke, almost inaudibly. "It would be easier to show you."

The fire dragon slayer stood and walked to a nearby tree, with his friend following him. They walked for about ten meters, before Natsu turned back and spoke once again, this time, his voice normal. "Can you make an ice wall behind this tree? Make it as impregnable as you can and as long as you can."

Gray nodded, not really understanding what was going on, but trusting his friend. He connected his right fist with his left palm. "Ice-Make…" he started but was stopped when Natsu pulled his fist from his palm.

"Use Ice Devil Slayer Magic." the fire mage said with a serious look on his face.

Not one to question his friend when he was this serious, he just connected his fist with his palm again. "Ice-Devil: Rampart!" A huge wall of ice appeared behind the tree that Natsu pointed to. It stretched for about a hundred meters away from the tree. "Here you go. Not a lot of things should be able to break through even a small portion of this wall, let alone destroy all of it."

Gray thought he heard the fire dragon slayer mutter, "I hope you're right," before Natsu closed his eyes. He stayed that way for a few minutes while the ice-make wizard just watched him. Once he opened his eyes, he shouted, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" while his fist, engulfed in flames, traveled towards the tree.

Gray watched as pink-haired wizard slowly moved his fist toward the tree. The fire mage looked like he was trying to imitate one of those slow-motion movie scenes, and the ice-make wizard couldn't help but laugh. The laughter died as soon as his fist connected with the tree.

The tree was gone, as was his ice wall. Where they used to be, there was a deep ravine and he couldn't even see where it ended. A clear line, devoid of any trees, extended for as far as the eye could see. Gray couldn't help but stare at the damage done by the fire dragon slayer's single punch as all the dirt, tree pieces, and ice flew around.

"You still think I haven't changed?" a voice came from where he knew Natsu stood.

It took Gray a few moments to collect his thoughts, and once he finally did, he couldn't think of a reason why the fire mage thought a small power boost was a reason for so much concern. That's exactly what he told him. "And you think that a small power boost changed you so much that you couldn't even come back to guild?"

"A-a small power boost?" Natsu asked quietly looking at the floor. Then he raised his head, and with it his voice, "You said there weren't many things that could destroy your wall. Look at it Gray! It's GONE! And with it who know how much forest was destroyed." He looked at the floor and added, almost like an afterthought in a quiet voice, "And that wasn't even a real punch."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the ice-make wizard immediately asked.

"I used the least amount of power I could. You saw how much power this attack had. Do you think anyone could be unharmed after this kind of attack? Hell, most people would be dead!" Natsu was yelling angrily, and at the same time looking sadder than Gray had ever seen him. "Not to mention that it took me a few minutes to concentrate enough not to cause any more destruction! I can't fight like I could anymore, because… because…" the tears were forming in Salamander's eyes by this point, "because I'll kill someone!" he finished, as he broke down crying, pulling his scarf around his face.

Gray went over to Natsu, hugged him, and keeping him close to himself, he sat them down leaning against a nearby tree. "Do you think that anyone in Fairy Tail cares how strong you are? You're still Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's Salamander, and no matter how much you change, how much power you gain, you'll always be part of Fairy Tail, part of our family." the ice-make wizard whispered to the dragon slayer he was holding tightly.

"But… I can feel it Gray," Natsu said, looking at the floor, crying.

"Feel what, flame-brain," Gray answered, trying, and failing, to lighten the mood.

"Every morning…, I wake up with more power than I had the day before. I can feel… feel the demon curse working inside me, making me stronger. And it's not stopping! I'm more powerful with every day that passes, and I don't know how much of this I can take," the fire mage said looking up at Gray, sometimes stopping as new tears formed in his eyes, sometimes yelling.

The ice-make wizard held his friend in silence for a few minutes, until the fire dragon slayer could calm down. Once he calmed down, he turned away from Gray and leaned his back on ice-make wizard's chest, hiding his face from further embarrassment. Once he settled, Gray asked him quietly. "Then why didn't you ask for help? If nobody at Fairy Tail could help you, I'm sure Gramps would do anything to find someone who could."

"There's no fixing this," Natsu answered, looking as miserable as he did for the last few weeks. "It's part of me now. It may have been possible to remove it before my demon power was unlocked, but not anymore, at least not without me dying."

"Still you could have said something to someone. You know that you can always find home in Fairy Tail, especially when you're suffering, right?"

"Of course I know that! But I don't think you get how much power I have now. That punch, which destroy your wall was about one percent of my power," the fire mage said, sitting between Gray's legs, looking away from him. Gray was glad he was holding the dragon slayer, so he wouldn't be able to turn and see the look of surprise on his face, although he was sure Natsu heard his sharp inhale. "You know me better than anyone. What do you think would have happened if Gajeel or someone challenged me to a fight?"

"I challenged you to a fight, more than one time, and you just looked away," Gray pointed out.

"That's different. You tried to cheer me up by goading me into a fight, you weren't really challenging me. Even if you have, I knew I could resist the urge to fight. Not just with you, but with everyone I allowed to come near me. And besides, if there was a brawl inside the guildhall, and someone hit me, do you think I wouldn't retaliate. Even with the power I had a week ago, if I had used any of my Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, Magnolia wouldn't exist anymore. So, I stayed away, trying to find a way to fight." Natsu sat between Gray's legs, enclosed by his arms, staring ahead blankly, not moving an inch.

"So what you used against those monsters is what you came up with?" the ice-make wizard asked, prompting the fire mage to continue.

"Yea. On that training trip I went with Happy, I spent a lot of time during that year on trying to control my flames like Macao and Romeo do, trying to use Fire Magic. While I just used Fire Dragon Slayer Magic at full power most of the time, Fire Magic requires full control of one's flames. So unlike how I use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic at full power, and reduce how much power I use, in Fire Magic I put however much power I want into each attack. The way I learned Fire Magic is the way magic is supposed to be taught, but as a child I just wanted to get strong, and since 'holding back' wasn't in Igneel's dictionary I use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic the way I do. It will take me a long time before I'm able to relearn how to use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic properly and safely again."

"So you would have returned to the guild, even if there weren't for the S-class wizard promotion trial?" Gray asked, finally thinking he at least understood, if not approved of Natsu's actions, while the fire mage's answer sent him cursing in his thoughts.

"No."

"And why not?" the ice-make wizard asked, getting annoyed, but keeping his voice normal, so as not to make this any harder on the pink-haired wizard than it already was.

"Because I don't want anyone to see me like this. If not for this trial, I would probably tell Happy what's going on, and we'd leave on another training trip, taking as much time as I would need to be able to use dragon slayer magic again. At least that's what I planned."

They sat there quietly for a few minutes, Gray processing everything he had learned, and Natsu just needing some human contact after saying his dark thoughts out loud. After sitting like that for about five minutes, the fire mage stood, pulled his scarf from his face and offered the hand to the ice-make wizard, who sat behind him.

"You know, you probably shouldn't turn all the monsters we come across to ash," Gray said chuckling and taking his friend's hand. Natsu raised an eyebrow in question while pulling the ice-make wizard up, so Gray continued. "Your fighting style changed, so I should probably see how you fight. It will help us to better coordinate our attacks, especially against the dark wizards, which you won't just burn until they're gone."

"Yea, you're right," the fire mage said, answering the question he could feel at the end of Gray's statement. "There's a lot more to using Fire Magic than just covering everything around yourself in fire," Natsu answered, a small smile on his face. _At least it's a sincere smile,_ Gray thought.

"We should probably keep watch from this night forward. If those monsters came here, more could come."

"Sure, I'll take first watch then!" the pink-haired wizard eagerly volunteered. "That's the first time I've used magic in a fight since the invasion, so I'm all fired up. Maybe I'll get lucky and some more monsters show up," the fire mage said, with a wide grin on his face, showing his sharp fangs, while Gray couldn't figure out how someone could change their moods so fast.

"Then I'm going to sleep. Wake me when my time to take watch comes." Natsu nodded, and with that Gray turned, went to his sleeping bag, and was asleep in a matter of minutes.


	4. Fire Magic

**Chapter 4: Fire Magic**

Natsu was sitting on the forest floor, leaning against the tree, at the exact same spot where Gray was holding him, just a few moments ago. He came to this spot as soon as he heard the ice-make wizard's even breathing, indicating he was asleep. It's not like the raven-haired boy told him anything he didn't say to himself already, but after talking with him, he felt some of the weight come off his shoulders. He didn't feel as bad anymore, even if he still wasn't nowhere near as cheerful as his usual self. What helped him more than talking, was the way he felt connected with Gray as his friend was holding him, and so, this place, next to this tree was special to him. He could still smell the ice-make wizard in this area, and the memories of those cold, but comfortable arms around his chest kept him happy.

The fire dragon slayer let himself be consumed by the memories of Gray's strong arms around him, of his presence, his breath on Natsu's neck, and the soothing words he whispered in the pink-haired boy's ear, while still keeping his ears and nose on his surroundings.

He was brought out of his memories by a disgusting smell his nose picked up. He looked around. Gray was still sleeping and judging by the strength of the fire in the fireplace, it wasn't even half an hour since the ice-make wizard went to sleep.

Few moments passed, and the smell wouldn't go away. Natsu noticed that the wind was blowing from the direction they were heading for, and he knew that with his keen nose and a wind this strong, whatever created that smell could be as far as a few dozen kilometers. So, he tried to ignore the smell, and focus on his hearing, while looking around, try to catch a glimpse of anything trying to sneak up on them.

After some time of not sensing anything, the fire mage decided that whoever, or whatever, was heading towards them (if anyone/anything even was), they were still far enough for the boys not to be in any immediate danger. He needed to stay more alert than he had been for the past half an hour, so he decided to do what he had been doing for the past weeks, when he couldn't sleep. That is to say, he was going to train Fire Magic.

Since he decided on using Fire Magic after he got his 'small power boost' as Gray had called it, he put a lot of thought into what made Fire Magic unique, and also how it connected with other magic types and how to use it to replicate the effects of other magic types, such as his friend's Molding Magic. Of course, he could never create things like Gray could, because Fire Magic works differently than Molding Magic, but that didn't mean that there was no chance for him to create things, especially with the power he had. Other fire mages, such as Macao and Romeo, could never do what he could, not because they weren't skilled enough, but simply because they didn't have enough Magic Power.

Natsu thought about everything he had tried to do with Fire Magic. Most of the things he had tried had probably never been attempted, considering how much Magic Power they needed, but to him, it felt like he had only taken one drop of water from a vast ocean. The pink-haired wizard knew he could probably find a way to replicate any magic he wanted to, if he was given enough time. He had given a lot of thought to what he could actually use in a battle, but he couldn't be sure, until he was faced with an enemy. _At least I have Gray to watch my back, if I mess something up,_ he thought, _I know he'll have my back, just as he had while I reveled the dark power coursing through me_.

As the fire mage was concentrated on the magic he was practicing, time flew by. He was about to go wake Gray up, when he heard something. The disgusting smell was still in the air, but the fire dragon slayer noticed that the wind had stopped. When the wind had stopped, he could not be sure, but this way he knew that the source of the smell couldn't be very far. Just as when he first noticed the smell, he used his ears and eyes to search for anyone trying to sneak up to them. It didn't take him long find what he was looking for. They were still a few kilometers away, but in the quiet of the night, their footsteps could be heard by the keen dragon slayer ears.

About five minutes before the monsters were upon them, the pink-haired wizard woke his friend.

"Is it my time to take the watch?" Gray asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yea," Natsu answered, then added, "Besides, we have company, and you wanted to see me fight."

The ice-make wizard was on his feet in less than a second, looking around for the intruders, but of course he didn't see anyone.

"They'll be here in a few minutes," the fire mage said, once the raven-haired wizard looked at him questioningly. He could hear them slowly approaching, about half a kilometer away. The ice-make wizard visibly relaxed, but nonetheless, he was ready for a fight they both knew was coming.

The pink-haired wizard heard the monsters about a hundred meters from them, when he unleashed his magic, with a yell, "Fire Carpet!" Flames spread from the fire mage, sticking low to the ground, going straight towards the monsters, covering the forest around them in a brilliant light. As soon as he finally saw the monsters move toward them, they were stopped in their tracks by the dragon slayers flames. His magic wasn't hurting them in any way, it just solidified against their feet, keeping them in place, turning them into easy targets.

Once his enemies were trapped, Natsu ran straight for them. He didn't hear Gray running with him, but he wasn't too concerned, thinking the ice-make wizard probably just wanted to see his new fighting style. About halfway toward the monsters he yelled, "Fire Body!" and suddenly he was enveloped in flames. The fire kept growing, making a new orange-red body, of which his real one was the center, for him to control. All the while running towards the hideous creatures in front of him, he stopped the expansion of his flames once his new body's size was to his satisfaction, which was about ten meters of height.

Seeing the huge, human-shaped ball of fire running straight for them, the monsters tried to run in the other direction, but they were still held in place by the fire dragon slayer's Fire Carpet. All they could do was watch as their doom approached. Reaching them, the fire giant swiped his arm, turning every monster it passed through to ash, while the trees, bushes and everything else stayed in its place, unaware of the massacre happening right next to them. In three giant swipes, all monsters, about thirty of them, were turned to ashes, just like their companions which tried to attack them five hours ago.

His opponents wiped out, the pink-haired boy stopped supplying Magic Power to the fire giant, the flames going out, and him falling from where the giant's chest was. Reaching the ground, he also dispelled the Fire Carpet, returning to the camp, and finding his friend starring at where his Fire Body was, like he could still see it. After he finally managed to unglue his eyes from the spot which was the source of brilliant light a few minutes ago, the ice-make wizard spoke.

"Was…" he swallowed hard, a look of disbelieve on his face. "Was that Molding Magic?" he asked quietly, locking his eyes with Salamander's.

Natsu grinned widely, showing his sharp fangs, glad his friend recognized it, even if it technically wasn't true. "Strictly speaking, it's still Fire Magic, but the idea came from your Ice-Make Magic," the fire mage replied, smiling brightly and sincerely. Even though he didn't want to tell anyone about what the demon power was doing to him, he still wanted to boast to someone about what he came up with. It was just who Natsu Dragneel was.

"I've never seen anyone use Fire Magic like that, before," the raven-haired wizard said, still looking like he didn't believe what his eyes have seen just a few moments ago.

"And you probably never will," the dragon slayer answered, his face turning serious. "The amount of Magic Power it takes to create something like this is crazy, and unlike Molding Magic, this 'replacement' magic I use requires constant input of Magic Power into it. With those two attacks, I've probably used more Magic Power than half the wizards of Fairy Tail combined have, while it was almost an insignificant amount, compared to my… newly…" Natsu said quietly, while not looking Gray in the eyes, "acquired power." The fire mage couldn't meet his friend's eyes, not after being reminded why he could, and needed to, fight like this, especially since the ice-make wizard's entire village, including his family, was wiped out by a demon of the book of Zeref, one of his own kind.

* * *

Gray and Natsu knew each other for a long time. Ever since they laid their eyes on each other the day Makarov brought the boy who was looking for a dragon to the guild, they had fought constantly and insulted each other anytime they got the chance. Simply put, they were rivals. But despite that (or maybe because of it), they knew each other better than anyone else knew either of them. So, because of that, the ice-make wizard wasn't surprise when he sometimes felt like he knew exactly what his rival turned friend was thinking, and he knew that the fire mage sometimes got these insights too. He found himself at exactly that kind of situation, this very moment. He could read Salamander's thoughts, as if they were sentences written in a book.

Gray shook his head, trying to get the impressive sight of the fire giant running toward the monsters, its flames going around the trees, sparing everything but it's enemies. Once his head cleared, he took three long strides and enclosed his arms around the fire dragon slayer, not just because that's what he wanted to do every time he saw the dragon slayer, but because that's what his friend needed right now. He put his head on his shoulder, his mouth near the ear surrounded by pink hair, while he spoke quietly, but firmly.

"You're nothing like Deliora. If I thought you were anything like it, I would have killed you when I found out that you're E.N.D. during the invasion, no matter what Erza, or anyone else said. I didn't stop because of Erza's words. They just made me think, think about everything we shared together, think past the rage that consumed me after Invel told me you're E.N.D. I know you Natsu, I know you better than anyone, and if you won't believe me when I say that you're not a demon, that you're nothing like Deliora, and other demons from the books of Zeref, I'll beat you until you get it through that thick, flame filled head of yours. Stop thinking that the whole world will hate you for something that's out of your control. Even if the whole world turns on you, Fairy Tail will always protect one of their own. And were Fairy Tail to dismiss, and every member go their own way, I'll always stay next to you, watching your back, even if I have to defend it against every person on Earthland. Because no matter what we face, no matter how strong an enemy stands in front of us, if we fight it together, as a team, we'll always win."

After finishing his speech, he noticed Natsu's hands around him, holding his back. The fire mage was holding on to him tightly, like he was fearing Gray would disappear if he didn't hold on to him. The ice-make wizard could also feel his right shoulder, right where the pink-haired head was situated, wet, and getting wetter, the shirt on his shoulder already filled with his friend's tears.

"I'm never leaving you, no matter what you say or do," the raven-haired boy whispered. "And if you ever even just think about leaving because of something stupid like this, I'll use my magic to freeze us together. You're not getting rid of me, flame-brain, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll allow me to help you."

The ice-make wizard wasn't exactly sure why he said all those things, especially the things that could betray what he was feeling towards the dragon slayer, the feelings he still wasn't ready to reveal, especially with all the problems Natsu was facing right now. Yet, he must've, at least on a subconscious level, realize that that was what his friend needed to hear right at this moment.

There was a long silence, Gray still feeling Natsu's tears falling on his now bare shoulder (seriously, how did he get his shirt off with them hugging?). A few minutes after the tears stopped wetting the ice-make wizard's shoulder, the fire mage finally spoke.

"Thank you," he said, almost inaudibly. It was just two words, but there was no need for anything else.

Once the pink-haired wizard recovered enough to speak more, and since their previous conversation ended with the words he spoke some time ago, he decided to change the subject.

"I think I need sleep," he said quietly near Gray's ear.

The ice-make wizard felt the boy holding him finally relaxing his tight grip. As soon as he let his hands fall from Salamander's back, Natsu went to his sleeping bag near the fire. Before the fire mage took even one step away from him, the raven-haired boy already missed their hands around each other's backs, but he knew that Natsu must be felling exhausted, both emotionally, after reveling everything he had that day, and physically, after two fights he fought all by himself. Besides, Gray knew he had no right to feel that way, no right to think that way, at least not until he told his friend the truth. So, he let his friend get into his sleeping bag, and just watched as he slowly drifted into, what he hoped, was a sleep devoid of nightmares, while he found a place from which he could keep his eyes on both the pink-haired boy, and the direction from which the monsters came.

* * *

Natsu's dream started just like every other dream had since he remembered his past. He was sitting at a table with a pink-haired man, a black-haired woman, and a black-haired boy. In each dream the scene shifted and all he could do was cry while he tried to bring himself back home with his screams, knowing it won't work, but unable to do anything else. It felt like someone was taunting him with what he could have, just to rip it away from him, time and time again.

His shouting ended as the scene changed, because he saw his parents in front of him, and he could fell his brother next to him. He couldn't figure out why the profound sadness he felt just a second ago, was replaced with fear. That was, until he looked around. More than half the village was gone. Most of the buildings that were in the village didn't exist anymore, others were destroyed, stone scattered around them, while only a few were left standing. A giant flying beast, a dragon Natsu knew, was flying overhead, killing anything that moved, destroying everything else.

His whole family was running towards a nearby forest hoping to hide there from the beast, under the trees' dense cover. His parents were running in front of their children, wanting to make sure there wasn't any danger ahead, looking at their children every now and then, assuring them, with words and smiles, that everything will be fine. The fear was the only thing that made Natsu run. His young body, unaccustomed to this much sprinting, was ready to give out, but the fear running through him wouldn't allow him to stop.

As they kept running, he looked back at the only home he ever knew. Once he saw the piece of the building flying towards them, it was already too late. The only thing he managed to do was look ahead in shock, as the giant boulder went past him, taking his parents with it.

The pink-haired boy ran after the boulder, totally forgetting what was happening, the dragon that was rampaging near him, only wanting to know that his parents were alright. He could hear someone shouting to him not to go there, that they should run for the forest, that that's what their parents wanted, but he ignored it.

He reached the part of the house, which was standing at an odd angle, and found his parents on the other side of it. Running towards them, he dropped on his knees, trying to wake them up.

"Mom! Dad!" he screamed, but they weren't moving. Their bodies were covered in blood, arms and legs sticking at sickening angles. He brought his hands to wipe the tears that came streaming out of his eyes at some point, only to find them red. His hands were covered with his parents' blood.

"Natsu! Look out!" his brother screamed, some ten meters behind him.

Natsu looked up to see the boulder tipping over and starting to fall on him. He closed his eyes, thinking he was glad he wouldn't need to live in the world where his parents were gone, although he felt bad for leaving his brother alone.

The pink-haired boy waited to be crushed, his eyes closed, but nothing came. He opened his eyes, just to close them again as he saw his foster father, Igneel, being ripped in half by Acnologia.

In his anger, he smashed his fist into the ground. He opened his eyes as he sensed his too weak punch connect with something too soft to be rock. Just like his every nightmare started with him being home, it also eventually led here: Fairy Tail's guildhall, and his fist connecting with his brother's dead, limp body.

All he could do was shout at his brother with tears flowing down his face, "Why did you leave me!" even while he knew how hypocritical that was. After all, that's exactly what he did to Zeref that day, so many years ago. Maybe he couldn't save himself, maybe even if he tried he would have died, but the fact was, he didn't even attempt to live. He was the reason the black wizard Zeref was born. If only he had survived that day, if only he hadn't given up on life, so many people wouldn't suffer, his brother wouldn't suffer, he wouldn't suffer.

It was too late now. The only thing he could do was lie down next to his brother, holding his last blood relative close as Zeref's blood, just like his parents' blood, covered him.

Since he didn't even have enough energy to wake up from the nightmare he was having, he just lied there, covered in his tears and his brother's blood until the world turned black. Welcoming the darkness, and the dreamless sleep it promised to bring with it, he closed his eyes engrossing himself in it.


	5. Through the Forest

**Chapter 5: Through the Forest**

Natsu woke up feeling more exhausted than when he went to sleep. He knew what the reason for it was. He remembered the whole nightmare he had; besides, this wasn't the first time he dreamt that particular one. He watched his family dying almost every night, whether it was just his parents, Igneel, his brother or all of them. At least this time he was able to go back to sleep. There were nights when it was like the dream was on repeat, and he had to lose his family from when he fell asleep in the evening, all the way to the morning, something just not letting him to either rest, or wake up. After an unrestful night like that, he needed a few hours in the morning before he could stop crying, before he remembered that it was just a nightmare, that he still had family, even if they weren't related by blood.

He was still lying on his side in the sleeping bag, looking over the damage he did with his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic yesterday. Now that the sun was up, the full extent of what he did was visible. In the dense cover of the forest, most of the light was coming from where a deep ravine was. It looked like someone took a huge knife, and gnashed the face of Earthland. He knew that with the power he currently had, he could beat any of the Spriggan Twelve, not to mention any of the Wizard Saints.

As the fire mage stopped thinking about the events that unfolded yesterday, he became aware of Gray's eyes watching him. From the amount of light in the sky, he was sure that the first rays of the sun were long gone, and he deduced that the ice-make wizard must've let him sleep in. While it probably helped his weary body, it did nothing for his exhaustion, which was far from physical.

"Good morning, ice princess," Natsu said, as he turned to face his friend, who quickly turned away, but the dragon slayer noticed a small smile on his face.

"Morning to you too, flame-brain," the raven-haired wizard answered.

"Didn't we agree to leave the first thing in the morning?" the pink-haired wizard asked.

"Yeah, well, it's better to fight in the light, especially for me who can't use smell or hearing to compensate for the lack of sight," Gray answered so convincingly, the fire mage almost believed him, if not for a fact that the sun must've been up for a few hours already, but he let the ice-make wizard think he believed his lie. After all, he let Natsu sleep in because he needed it, and then he lied so the dragon slayer wouldn't feel bad.

"So, how long until we reach the dark guild?" Salamander asked, getting up.

"If we make a late start like this every day, and we need to, to see while we fight, about… a week?"

"We can leave as early as we have yesterday, and the day before. If we come across any monsters, I can use Fire Magic to create light. It should save us a day or two. And I really want us to be the first ones to return back, first wizards in Fairy Tail to reach S-class in a decade!" Natsu showed his sharp fangs in his wide grin. Part of the reason behind his smile was to banish the last bits of that nightmare out of his mind, but more than that, he truly wanted to become an S-class wizard.

"As long as I'll be able to see, I don't mind either way," Gray said, returning a smile. "Besides, you're right. We can't let any of the other losers get S-class before us. We'd never hear the end of it, especially if it's Lucy or Gajeel who beat us to it," the ice-make wizard finished saying, and the fire mage was ready to go, before his friend could even blink.

"You're right!" he said, fear on his face. "I just wanted us to be the first ones, but you're right. If either Lucy of Gajeel beat us to it, we'll never hear the end of it. And we don't know what kind of jobs they took. Maybe it was something in one of the towns. If they don't need to walk this long, they could already be there. We have to hurry!"

"What about breakfast?" Gray asked worriedly.

"Did you eat?" the dragon slayer asked him.

"Yeah, but you haven't," the raven-haired boy answered.

The pink-haired wizard ate the flames of their fireplace and started going in the direction they were heading for two days, looking over his shoulder and shouting, "Now I have!" before turning his head, and looking where he was going.

A few seconds later, Gray joined him, hesitantly asking the question Natsu felt he's been dying to ask all night. "How exactly did you come up with that fire giant you've used yesterday? And what did you mean when you said that you have to constantly input Magic Power into it? How does that work?" the fire mage heard the excitement in his friend's voice. Even if this wasn't a new type of magic, it was Fire Magic used in a completely new way and it was sure to attract attention once someone saw it being used.

"I thought you said you knew me better than anybody," the dragon slayer asked, a fake pout on his face.

"I do!" Gray retorted, looking a little hurt. "But how am I supposed to know how you came up with something like that?" he asked seriously.

"Not what I meant," Natsu answered, chuckling. "You sounded like you weren't sure whether you should ask me or not. You should've known I've been dying to boast to someone. I came up with a totally new use of Fire Magic," he said, putting his characteristic smile on his face.

The ice-make wizard just started laughing. He tried to talk as he laughed, "You-... You're right," he broke down, with another fit of laughter. As he calmed down, he continued. "You're right, flame-brain. I should have known you'd never miss a chance to brag about something. So, here is your chance. Brag away!" Gray said, tears of happiness in his eyes.

"Thanks, droopy-eyes," Natsu said sarcastically, before starting his explanation. "You once told me how you magic works, if you remember. It was a long time ago." As the ice wizard nodded, he continued. "You said that you use your Magic Power to create and shape the ice. Once you create a sword for example, you can fight with it without using any more Magic Power. That's probably true for any kind of Molding Magic. Well, Fire Magic doesn't work that way. You saw how fire wizards fight. Most of the times their flames are connected to them. That's because Fire Magic requires constant input of Magic Power, and that's done through the wizard's flames. The few times they disconnect flames from themselves, it's because they don't have any other choice. The amount of Magic Power you need to input into a fireball for example, is enormous. Unlike your ice, the flames need Magic Power to continue burning. Hence, the cost.

"So, I first decided to use Fire Carpet to extend the reach of my flames. As long as it's on the Fire Carpet, it's connected to me. But whatever I create, I have to input my Magic Power into it, for as long as I want it to exist, and since, as I already said, it requires massive amounts of it, there is no way another fire wizard can use it. As for the giant body I created, I still wanted to fight the way I have up until now, and I remembered Gramps' Giant Magic, so I tried to do something similar. It feels pretty awesome controlling a huge beast like that, and if I want, I can make it even bigger. I never really tried to go all out, but with my current Magic Power, I could make it a few dozen times bigger, and still have enough Magic Power to be able to supply it to the giant throughout the fight."

The fire mage was proud of himself. He knew everyone thought he was stupid; that was the image he had created, after all. So, of course he would feel pride in showing everyone what he could truly do. He even thought that since Gray, the person who had more reason than anyone else to hate demons, could accept him, maybe his fears truly were stupid. Maybe once they returned, he could challenge Gajeel to a fight, create a huge Fire Body, and crush his other rival, while he's gaping at that fire monster. Yes, that sounded like a good way to repay him for all the insults.

"What are you grinning like a maniac for?" the raven-haired boy walking next to him asked. Natsu hadn't even notice the evil smile on his face until his friend pointed it out.

"Oh…" Natsu laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I was just thinking that maybe you're right. Maybe I should go to the guild once we return."

"Damn right, I'm right! But why would you have that creepy smile on your face thinking about that?" the ice-make wizard asked, confused.

"Well, I thought that maybe I could challenge Gajeel. I could use Fire Body and finish the fight while he's gaping at the monster before him. The look on his face would be priceless." Natsu laughed crazily at the thought, and soon Gray join him.

Once the raven-haired wizard recovered enough to talk again, he gave his friend an idea. "Maybe you should get the whole team B from Grand Magic Games on it. We still haven't paid them back for that whole "the losers have to do the bidding of the winners for an entire day" thing."

"You're right!" the fire mage exclaimed, already thinking how to get everyone to fight him at once. "I should probably keep Cana out of it. She was the only one who didn't embarrass a member of team A. Wendy even said she had fun with her. And we'll need to invite every member of our team to watch. It wouldn't be any fun without an audience," he said, starting to laugh again.

They walked for some time, both imagining how the payback would go, imagining the expressions they would see, and the laughs from other guild members who would be watching the entire thing unfold. Their laughs after they recover from the pink-haired boy's unbelievable magic, that is. Finally, Natsu spoke.

"Couldn't you create a giant body like I have, with your Ice-Make Magic?" he asked.

"Sure I could, but I couldn't control it like you do. Besides, unlike your fire, ice is solid, and in the forest like this, with this many trees, something that huge would only cause problems," the ice-make wizard answered.

"Couldn't you control it with Ice Devil Slayer Magic? It's a Slayer Magic, so you can control your element. And I wasn't talking about here. I was talking about our payback. Imagine them, instead of facing a huge fire monster, facing two giants of opposing elements. You should definitely try it after we finish this job, and before we return. It would be easier to convince Laxus and Mira to fight if it's us two on them four."

The dragon slayer saw an evil smile spread on his friend's face, as he imagined it, before he said, "Yeah, your right."

They kept walking towards their destination, planning their revenge, every so often laughing maniacally. Natsu couldn't help but feel happy about all this. He missed this more than he thought he had. He just now realized that most of the weight on his shoulders was there even before the Alvarez Empire invaded, he just always had friends, who, even if they didn't realize, helped him carry that weight. What made him miserable wasn't the death of his brother, the nightmares, of even the fear of being a demon. What really made him miserable was him distancing himself from his friends. His family.

That's why he decided to never again try to fight the whole world by himself. Even if he had some secrets that he had to keep to himself, even if he had some fears he could not reveal to anyone, even if he was insecure in what he really was, whether the decisions he made were right or wrong, there was at least one guild full of people who would tell him that what he did was good or bad. He knew they wouldn't tell him what they thought he wanted to hear. They would tell him the truth no matter how much it hurt. They believe in him, believed that no matter how much he was hurt by it, he wanted the truth, not some half-truths. And they believe that if the truth was too much for him to bear, he would ask for help, help that he should know would be offered willingly, without asking anything in return.

Of all the things he ever did in his life in the guild, he now knew that the one that hurt his family the most, was when he turned away from them, a few weeks ago. He was stupid. He was blind. But most of all, he was arrogant, believing that he was the only one strong enough to carry this weight around, and nobody would be able to help him.

As they walk through the forest, evil smiles on their faces, Natsu swore he would find a way to show his gratitude to Gray and Gramps for making him realize just what kind of mistake he made.

* * *

Words couldn't describe how happy Gray felt. The spark he saw in the dragon slayer's eyes a few days ago, when Gramps told them about how S-class wizard promotion trials would be conducted this time, finally turned into a fire. It was still a small fire, a fire just beginning its life, but the ice-make wizard knew that it would grow wild, even without anyone nurturing it. Of course, Gray would stay with his friend, help that fire grow, give it everything he had. He had decided to turn it into an inferno worthy of the son of The Fire Dragon King, and he wouldn't stop until that was done.

The raven-haired boy was glad to see his pink-haired friend smile genuinely. There were still some secrets Natsu hadn't reveal to him, like the nightmares, but he knew the dragon slayer remembered what was important. The family isn't people related by blood. The family are people who stick with you no matter what, the people who'd do anything for you, the people who'd help you when you ask for help, and more than that, the people who would see you need help even when you won't, or can't, ask for it. And he saw that Salamander remembered that.

He thought that the fire dragon slayer was maybe even ready for Gray to admit his feelings. But what stopped him from reveling them to the pink-haired boy, was his sudden improvement. The raven-haired boy knew that his friend thought he healed him, and he was pretty sure that the flame-brain would do anything to thank him, even if it was something he didn't want to do. And that's not what Gray wanted. So, he would wait until squinty-eyes thanked him in some other way before sharing his secret.

They were walking through the forest, sometimes still laughing at the particularly nasty idea one of them got, for about half an hour, when Natsu shushed him.

"What is it?" the ice-make wizard whispered.

"Monsters," the fire mage answered in a normal voice. "They are a little over a kilometer away, and they're not heading here, but there are a few hundreds of them, by the sound of it."

"So, a fight? You ready, flame-breath?" Gray asked.

"You kidding me, popsicle? I'm all fired up!" Natsu answered, fisting his hand and punching the palm of his other one.

Heading towards where they knew a fight was waiting for them, they walked in silence. Both boys were excited. Sure, it wouldn't be exactly like it used to be, but they would fight together.

Once they were about a hundred meters from the monsters, the first creature spotted them, and with a loud screech started for them. Soon others joined it, and they had a stampede of monsters heading their way.

When they were some fifty meters from them, the fire mage unleased his magic with the yell, "Fire Carpet!" and it was even more impressive than the first time. Seeing the fire spread in the light of day. The monsters rushing towards them suddenly stopped as the flames reached them, and Natsu's childish grin was more than enough to spur Gray into action.

Looking over his shoulder and yelling, "I can't let you have all the fun!" he charged straight at the enemy. Their opponents being unable to move, the fight wasn't really challenging, but nonetheless the ice-make wizard used everything he had, freezing every enemy he was close enough to.

The fire dragon slayer's Fire Carpet extended to envelop a huge area. Their foes were all unable to move, before he unleashed more of his magic. "Fire Animals!" All around the monsters, animals made out of fire started to form from the flames on the ground. There were bears, tigers, elephants, and everything else that was strong enough to kill. As each creature formed, they charged for the enemies. Gray saw Lyon's Dynamic Ice-Make in those creatures, but unlike Lyon who could only have a few creatures at the time, there were dozens of fire beasts running around.

The fight was over a lot sooner than the ice-make wizard wanted it, but there was nothing these monsters could do against the overwhelming power of the pink-haired wizard.

This newest magic made Gray think what else his friend came up with. Natsu said Gray couldn't even imagine how much power he had, and that was probably true. But, more than the power he showed, the raven-haired wizard was impressed by the amount of control over it he displayed. He controlled dozens of those Fire Animals, and not one stopped at any time in the fight. The fire mage controlled all those creatures, turning their flames from gas to solid throughout the battle, while at the same time making the Fire Carpet solid only against the monster's legs, and he didn't even damage anything. That kind of control wasn't given to him. It was trained, and trained over a long period of time.

"That was impressive!" the ice-make wizard said, returning to the dragon slayer. "And I don't mean your power. The control you have over your flames…" He didn't know what to call it. 'Impressive' was putting it mildly.

"Well what did you expect? Do you know how much control I needed to not burn any people in Domus Flau during the last Grand Magic Games?" Natsu said, grinning like he was trying to compensate for those weeks he spent miserable.

"I guess… But I've only seen Lyon control three beasts at a time, and he doesn't have to worry about making them go gaseous or solid. Sure, you may have gotten your power from an unwanted source, but the only reason you can use it is because of your training." Gray hoped the fire wizard understood everything he couldn't say with words. There were no words with which he could express how glad and proud he felt in the fact that he not only knew the fire dragon slayer, but to be able to call him his friend. There were just no words which would feel like they could show the full extent of those feeling, so he hoped his friend knew how he felt.

Natsu read him like a book, because all he said was, "I know," with a serious voice and a serious expression on his face, putting a hand on his shoulder. Then he put his toothy grin on his face and said in a cheerful voice. "Now come on, we've got to finish this job before everyone else!" before he started in the direction of the dark guild, walking faster than they had before. The ice-make wizard smiled, before following his friend.

* * *

The boys continued forward, stopping only to fight monsters, eat and sleep. During the night, before they even ate, Gray would surround them in an ice dome, but only one of them would sleep, the other holding watch, until they switched. Each night they slept closer to the dark guild's guildhall, more monsters waited for them outside the dome in the morning, and each day they got further ahead, they had to fight more monsters, more frequently. It was nothing they couldn't handle, and Natsu used only Fire Carpet, Fire Body and Fire Animals. The ice-make wizard asked him if that was all he could use, to which Salamander replied with a question, asking the raven-haired wizard how could he surprise him in the future, if he showed everything he could do now. It made Gray laugh, but also anticipate their next fight, hoping to see something new.

Natsu set a fast pace for them, not wanting anyone to beat them to S-class. A journey that Gray said would take them a week, they made in four days, with early starts every morning, extending their walks late into night, and occasional running during the day. They could see the cliff into which the dark guild's headquarters was built. They would need about half an hour of normal walking to reach it, but there was one problem. That problem was probably the reason why this job made it on the ten-year job board.

Between them and their target, there were a few kilometers full of monsters. They were practically one on top of the other, only their heads moving, watching the two intruders. Looking like a wall built to keep people away from the dark guild, there were monsters of every kind in it. There must've been tens of thousands, no, more like hundreds of thousands of monsters there. Had he come here a month ago, the fire mage would've just headed straight for them. It would have been a challenge worthy of the fire dragon slayer. With the power he now had, he could blow them away with one attack of his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, while in the process destroy that whole cliff plus half the forest.

But he knew he could not be so careless with his power anymore. Besides, he had Gray with him, and he was sure the ice-make wizard would complain if only he had all the fun. So, they decided to attack this wall of monsters together. The pink-haired wizard wanted to push his Magic Power to its limit in this fight.

As he had every fight for the last couple of days, he started this one with a yell, "Fire Carpet!" and flames flowing off him. It took the carpet five minutes to encompass every monster. The fire mage just waited, while his friend used that time to dispose of as many monsters as he could, using his Ice-Make and Ice Devil Slayer Magics. The raven-haired wizard must've killed over a thousand beasts in those five minutes, some he froze, while others he killed using his ice weapons.

Salamander felt his flames reach every monster, surrounding them, covering an area larger than these hideous creatures were occupying. He joined the battle, yelling and creating a Fire Body. After the fraction of the second, when his new body was created, he summoned his Fire Animals, and together they charged at the enemies.

Natsu saw Gray stop fighting for a second. The ice-make wizard was mesmerized by the fire giant leading his army of a few hundred fire creatures into battle. As soon as the fire crashed into the monsters, ice started flowing anew. The raven-haired wizard looked determined to fight on the same level as his friend, and the fire mage saw that even more monsters were being frozen. Fire was burning everything in its path, just as ice froze everything in its. Nothing could stop them, and before they knew it, the forest was empty.

Not one creature was left standing. Most weren't even recognizable, and those that were, were frozen with a look of horror on their 'faces'. The two wizards, looking proud of the way they quickly and mercilessly got rid of all the monsters, headed towards the cliff.


	6. The Creators

**Chapter 6: The Creators**

It took them some time to reach the cliff. As they walked, Gray couldn't stop thinking about their last fight. Natsu hadn't showed him anything new, but the sheer size of his attacks astonished him. The fire mage wasn't a single person on the battlefield anymore, he was an army. The sight of his Fire Body leading an army of Fire Animals would forever remain in the ice-make wizard's mind.

They were about a hundred meters away from the cliff, when the dragon slayer's hand across his chest stopped him. "What are you thinking about?" the pink-haired wizard asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Wha-…" Gray was surprised by the anger in his friend's voice, and the sudden question. "I'm not thinking about anything," he answered.

"Then put that ice filled head to some use, and watch were you're going."

It took the raven-haired wizard a few seconds to process what had just been said. He was about to return the insult when he felt it. Just a meter in front of them was a barrier. He would have probably collided with it, had the dragon slayer not stopped him. How he didn't notice so much Magic Power coursing through the air, he couldn't figure out. "Sorry," he muttered, before he returned his gaze to the cliff. He saw a small form emerging from the path that led into the cliff, and it was heading straight for them. They waited until the person reached them and spoke.

"You might as well turn around here. There is no wizard strong enough to break this barrier. Not only is the barrier powerful when created by a lone wizard, the barrier surrounding the guildhall of The Creators was created using the Magic Power of every wizard in the guild." The smug expression showed that he absolutely believed his words. There wasn't even a hint of fear in his eyes, and Gray knew that eyes always betrayed every emotion one felt.

"You know, there was a guy not so long ago, whose friend said that that guy's barrier was unbreakable. When I broke through his barrier, the guy even summoned a war god. Do you want to know what happened to them?" The ice-make wizard saw that the man in front of them already knew what happened to the guy Natsu was talking about. The fear of the two boys in front of him was now evident on the man's face. The fire mage continued in a low, dangerous voice. "The guy is sitting in some Council's prison, while the pieces of the war god left after I was finished with him, are rotting somewhere around Malba."

The man, looking like he was about to faint, stammered, "S-s-s-salamander? N…" before he could continue, Natsu cut him off, speaking in his usual, cheerful voice.

"If we finished the monsters out here in, what, fifteen minutes?" the dragon slayer asked, looking at Gray for conformation. As the ice-make wizard nodded, his friend continued. "Then do you really think some barrier will stop us?"

The man in front of them was clearly shaken when he learned just who was standing in front of him, but he still stood his ground. "Those mon… creatures, were nothing more than failures. This barrier has no weak points, and with the Magic Power of all my guildmates powering it, there is no way two wizards can destroy it, no matter how strong they are." The smug look was back, but the fear in his eyes remained.

Gray picked up something that bothered him. "Failures? What do yo-" he started to say, but the fire mage cut him off.

"We'll ask questions later. Right now, we have a dark guild to disband," Natsu said, making the raven-haired wizard ask himself when his friend became so focused. The dragon slayer turned back to the person in front of them. "We'll give you three minutes to prepare for a battle. I suggest you wait for us in your guildhall. I don't want to hurt anyone too badly, and you'll be in danger of that, out here."

The man visibly paled, before turning around and running back.

"What do you plan to do?" the ice-make wizard asked seriously.

"I'll need you to freeze the whole barrier," the pink-haired wizard said, ignoring his friend's question. Gray was about to repeat his question, when he saw Natsu trying to concentrate, so instead he answered simply.

"Sure."

After three minutes passed, the ice-make wizard used his Ice Devil Slayer Magic to freeze the whole barrier, just as the wizard next to him had asked him to. The fire mage was turned directly ahead, facing the frozen barrier, still concentrating with his eyes closed. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes. His flames spread all around and onto the frozen barrier. As the flames connected to the cliff face on every side, Salamander pulled his hand back. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled, ramming his fist at the barrier.

Natsu's hand went through the barrier like it wasn't even there. The whole frozen barrier exploded, like a glass falling on the floor. As Gray watched, his friend's flames went inside the, now destroyed, barrier. The flames created some sort of slide looking thing. The ice-make wizard looked in confusion, as the flames went higher and higher, until they created what he could only describe as a slide for someone in the sky. The scene unfolded in slow motion, and as Gray's gaze went back to the fire mage's fist, he realized what was happening. The excess power from his attack was going straight for the cliff. The dragon slayer built that slide to divert the power up and avoid any destruction and casualties.

Time started moving normally again, and the surplus power of the punch went up the slide, creating brilliant fireworks in the sky. The raven-haired wizard couldn't know for sure, but he believed that the fire dragon slayer's display of power could be seen far beyond the first settlements, which were about a week's walk from them. As his attack dispersed in the sky, Salamander's face filled with relief.

"You did good," the ice-make wizard assured his friend with a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Natsu answered looking over his shoulder, exhaustion clear on his face. "Can you take the lead inside?" he asked, panting hard, back arched, his hands on his knees. "I don't think my body can take much more of this." Gray wasn't surprised. Even with an insane amount of Magic Power, the body still had its limits. This was the first time the fire mage used so much Magic Power in so little time. His body needed to get used to it, before those limits could be pushed more.

"Sure." the raven-haired wizard said. "You just watch my back," he added as he turned toward the cliff.

"Got it!" the dragon slayer answered, managing to grin.

They faced the enemy's base, starting toward it, the pink-haired wizard still trying to catch his breath. Slowly approaching the cliff face, they saw that the only entrance, the one that the man used to get out and back in their guildhall was not there anymore. A giant boulder was put there, but a rock wouldn't be much of an obstacle for wizards of Fairy Tail.

Reaching the place where the entrance used to be, the ice-make wizard put his hand on the boulder blocking the entrance. Using his Ice Devil Slayer Magic, he froze the whole boulder. He could now feel just how big it was. Since it was put from the inside, only the small part that covered the entrance was visible, but now that his ice covered it, he could feel its full size. That rock couldn't be moved without the use of magic.

With his Ice Devil Slayer Magic, he moved the boulder (or maybe it would be more accurate to say he moved the ice around the boulder) out of the way, to reveal a giant room inside. Inside were at least fifty wizard and monsters, all mixed up, but not attacking each other. As soon as the boulder was out of the way, monsters charged towards the raven-haired boy, and wizards started casting spells. Gray was getting ready for a fight, a little worried about the combined attack: melee monsters, and ranged mages, but before monsters could reach him, or any enemy magic was used, flames turned all the monsters to ashes.

The mages panicked and threw all they got at the two boys in front of them, which the ice-make wizard easily blocked before he retaliated, freezing everyone in the room. It was the easiest way to restrain them, after all, and he could easily unfreeze them once the Magic Council's Custody Enforcement Unit got there.

Before going in, the raven-haired wizard checked to see if there was anyone else waiting for them inside. He saw that there was only one passageway, besides the entrance where he and the fire mage were standing, that lead out of the first room. After being satisfied that there was no one else lying in wait, he headed inside towards the other exit, his friend following him.

The corridor they were in was a long, fairly straight room only a little over five meters high. Every dozen or so meters, there would be rooms on either side, most of them had beds and desks, some were filled with books, while there were some that looked like experimentation rooms. They passed all those rooms, looking inside just long enough to make sure they were empty, before continuing. After some time, the corridor started to angle upward, and not long after that, they came to a huge room just like the one they entered first was. There were about a hundred wizards there, and a few times more monsters. Just like at the entrance, they were all mixed up, but not attacking each other. Unlike when they first came into this guildhall, the odd mix of enemies in front of them wasn't barring the path leading further into the guildhall, but an exit out of it.

This confused Gray, until he heard one of the wizards shout, "Don't let them catch up to master! We'll stop them here, or at least give the master enough time to escape!"

The ice-make wizard was sure his friend would tell them something like, "What kind of guild master let's his family sacrifice for him, while he runs with his tail between his legs!" had he the energy to spare. Since he didn't, the raven-haired boy threw those words at their enemies, to which they just laughed.

Before they stopped laughing, the monsters were burned to ashes, and their wizard friends were frozen.

"Go after him," Natsu said. "I don't think I'd be able to keep up with you. I'll use Communications Lacrima to call the Custody Enforcement Unit that's a day behind us to come pick these creeps up. Just make sure you bring him back. We can't let any of them escape."

Gray nodded, seeing as his friend was barely standing, before turning to the exit and starting to run. He could hear the fire mage rummaging through his backpack, trying to find the device, before calling the councilman and his unit which have been following them since they entered the forest.

As he followed the traces of magic the master of this dark guild, The Creators as they called themselves, was leaving behind, he thought of the fights they had that day. Considering how much Magic Power the dragon slayer has used, the ice-make wizard was impressed that he was even able to stand. The pink-haired boy's body wasn't accustomed to this much strain plus, neither of them had gotten enough sleep for the last few days during the night, while they kept fighting during the day. It just went to show how much he had trained his body, not focusing just on his magic, but using anything he could to become stronger.

Feeling the traces of magic growing stronger, he focused on what was in front of him. He came across the man accompanied by four monsters, and before they even noticed him, the monsters were already frozen. The man turned to face him, a squeal escaping him. The raven-haired wizard was surprised to find the man that came to talk to them before the barrier went down, before him.

"So, you're this guild's master?" Gray asked in a venomous voice.

"N-n-no, please. We weren't doing anything wrong. We were just creating some creatures, we weren't hurting anyone. We even went deep into the forest where nobody comes. What's so wrong with wanting to experiment with something you're interested in?" the man asked, looking terrified.

"Creating… creatures?" the ice-make wizard asked, confused. He never heard of something like that. He didn't even know magic could do something like that. But if they were dabbling in some new magic, it wasn't surprising they were defeated so easily. "Then when you said those monsters outside were failures you meant..." He couldn't finish the sentence. Why would anyone want to create monsters? All they do is kill people and destroy everything in their path, unless they find something they like, and they try to steal it.

The man's eyes showed a glint of hope. "Your friend looked really tired after using his magic to bring the barrier down. I wonder how he will fare against the creatures we considered to be a success," the man said, chuckling a little.

"Natsu?" the raven-haired wizard asked looking back the way he came.

The master of The Creators took that chance to try to run away, but before he even took a step away, he was turned into an ice sculpture.

"Ice-Make: Sled!" Gray created a sled, put the frozen master on top of it and pulled it as he ran back to the guild's guildhall. He reached it faster than he had reached the running man, but as he approached the entrance, he slowed down, scared something had happened to his friend.

He entered the huge room, and all he could see past the frozen wizards, was the fire mage lying on the floor, not moving. Letting go of the sled, he ran straight for the unmoving pink-haired boy. His eyes were focused on his friend, not noticing anything else, not caring about anyone else who might be in the room.

As the ice-make wizard reached Salamander, he dropped on his knees, checking the boy's pulse, checking if he was breathing, looking for any wound. Thankfully, there weren't any wounds, the dragon slayer was breathing, and his heart was beating as strong as ever.

Only after he made sure his friend was all right, he let his eyes wander over the room. The room, from where the fire mage was lying, towards the passageway, and into the passageway, as far as Gray could see, was black. All around the floor, the ashes were scattered, and the floor, walls, and celling looked like a melted ice-cream. Considering how tired Natsu was, it wasn't surprising he couldn't control his flames. Hell, Gray thought that he wouldn't even be able to use magic, but it seemed like he could use his magic until he falls asleep. The ice-make wizard had to laugh at that. It was so Natsu, after all.

After a few minutes of just staring at the fire mage, being thankful that he was all right, the raven-haired wizard made another sled, this one much bigger than the last one. He put all of the frozen dark guild's wizards on it, freezing them, so they wouldn't slide off. After they were all on it, he carefully picked his friend up, and put him on the sled making sure he wouldn't fall off, without freezing him.

Slowly, the only wizard left standing pulled everyone else to the first room. Reaching the room, sometime later, he took the dragon slayer off it, leaving the frozen wizards as they were. He took the sleeping bag off the pink-haired boy's backpack, and carefully put him in it, letting him get his deserved sleep.

Three hours passed until the Council's Custody Enforcement Unit came. Gray never met the man leading the unit, but he recognized the voice. It was the man they made contact with before heading into the forest.

The man, who introduced himself as Yuri, Head of the Custody Enforcement Unit, asked if they were all right, looking worriedly at Natsu.

"Don't worry," the ice-make wizard answered. "He's just sleeping. We had quite the fight on our hands, and he just showed off too much," he finished, chuckling lightly.

"I see," the dark-haired councilman answered with a small smile on his face. "That does sound as something Fairy Tail's Salamander, Natsu Dragneel would do." He was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "So these are all the wizards from The Creators? No one escaped?"

"No. The master" Gray pointed to the man that he caught outside, "left the others to hold us off so he could escape. From what he said, they were creating monsters. I didn't know that was even possible," the raven-haired wizard said in a questioning voice, hoping to get some answers.

Yuri sighed, before he started talking. "Then it is as we feared. We truly believed that all the monsters were just attracted here, but as more and more of them came here, we thought that something like this could be happening here. I mean, a few monsters that came out of this forest weren't anything odd. But the people that went into the forest said they encountered dozens, even hundreds of them, and monsters rarely form groups that big, especially different kinds of monsters."

It was the ice-make wizard's turn to sigh. "There were more than a few hundred monsters here."

"More than a few hundred monsters?" the councilman repeated questioningly. "You mean you killed thousands of monsters? Just the two of you?" The man looked confused as Gray shook his head, before he spoke.

"Just around this cliff there were a few tens of thousands of monsters. Probably even more," the raven-haired wizard said seriously.

Yuri's face was twisted in horror. "Tens of thousands!" he yelled, making his whole unit, which was arresting dark guild's wizards as Gray slowly unfroze them, turn their heads in his direction. "We only saw a few dozen monsters frozen outside, and maybe a few hundred of them scattered in pieces all around. What happened to the rest then?" he asked, lowering his voice, probably thinking they were still somewhere around, and not wanting to scare his men.

The ice-make wizard just pointed toward his sleeping friend, and simply said, with a proud smile on his face, "He burned them." Seeing the look of disbelief in the man in front of him, he asked. "Do you see any monsters here?" When the man shook his head, he continued. "There were two dozen monsters in here, and the only thing left of them are ashes. Do you think Salamander would be tired from fighting a few thousand monsters?" he asked, a smile still on his face.

The councilman just watched him for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke. "Well, the monsters are gone, and the wizards are in our custody. We'll let the king of Fiore know that you completed the job. You'll get payed through your guild, as it's always done with this much jewels. So you can go back, your job here is done."

"Thanks," Gray said, shaking the man's hand. "We'll stay here until the flame-breath wakes up," he finished, indicating the fire mage.

"Of course. Then take care," Yuri said, going back to his man, and the previously frozen wizards, whom now all had magic sealing cuffs around their hands. He led everyone out, starting their long journey towards one of council's prisons.

After they were all gone, the ice-make wizard went outside and gathered some wood for a fire. He knew they would stay here at least throughout the night, considering how tired Natsu was. So he gathered some wood, started a fire and ate, watching the fire mage's relaxed face as he slept.

* * *

When the dragon slayer woke up, it was night outside. Looking around he saw that he was in the first room of the guildhall. He was confused for a few moments, since he was sure he wasn't in this room before, at least in the last memory he had. Every part of his body ached, and he felt worse than ever before in his life.

That last group of monsters that came after Gray left was stronger than any of the others, and with his body being already weakened from all the magic used before, he wasn't sure if he could defeat them. He forgot about control, and just unleashed his flames on everything in front of him. When he saw all of the monsters starting to burn, he kept his power at that level, but by that time, even the rock walls started to melt. The last thing he remembered was all the monsters disappearing in his flames, and just as he was about to reel back his magic, the world went black.

"I thought you would sleep through the night," the fire mage heard someone's voice say. He looked around and saw the ice-make wizard looking at him on the other side of the fire, his expression serious.

"What happened?" he managed to get out through his burning throat, not knowing what else to say.

The raven-haired boy was near him in seconds, giving him a water bottle. "Drink," he said, before he turned toward the fire. The dragon slayed took the bottle, murmuring thanks, and drank until he didn't feel like he had walked through a desert for a year, anymore.

"Here, you need food," the ice-make wizard said as he turned back to face the pink-haired boy, with fish and bread in his hands. "You may have gone a little too far using magic," he said with a smile on his face.

Natsu groaned. "You're telling me. I feel like every part of my body is on fire, and I'm practically immune to fire!" he exclaimed. "Anyway," he continued exhaustedly, "I didn't expect those monsters to show at the end. And they were stronger than the rest. But we're both okay, the job is done, and Fairy Tail's got two new S-class wizards," he said with his characteristically wide grin. Gray was swept up in the fire mage's quiet celebration, a look of happiness equal to that of his friend's, on his face.

"You're right. Now eat," the raven-haired boy said, as he saw his friend, who could usually eat more food than a dozen people, just hold his food in his hands. When he started eating, Gray continued. "We'll sleep for the rest of the night, and head back to Fairy Tail in the morning. Besides finishing the job, we need to be the first ones to return," he finished as Natsu hurried and ate everything he got.

They talked a little while longer, Gray telling him what happened after he collapsed from exhaustion, before the ice-make wizard put more wood on the fire, and they went to sleep.


	7. A Party for the New S-class Wizards

**Chapter 7: A Party for the New S-class Wizards**

The morning came and Natsu was the first one to wake. The raven-haired boy slept rather closely to him, which surprised him, but he didn't mind it. The fire mage watched the ice-make wizard's relaxed face as he slept. He would never admit it, but he rather liked the feel of the ice princess next to him. The cold that radiated from him made the fire mage shiver, but it also filled him with a sense of security he didn't feel from anything or anyone else. He loved the smell that he started to associate with Gray. The smell of snow-covered pine trees reminded him of the fun they had during winter as kids. The snow fights, the brawls in the snow, the hot cocoa they drank in the guild afterwards, and the happy smiles on everyone's faces.

He knew what he was feeling. When the ice-make wizard tried to sacrifice himself during the invasion, when he tried to use Ice Shell to seal Zeref in it, the fire mage learned what his feeling for the raven-haired boy really were. He wanted to tell his friend more than anything. Even if his friend would hate him afterwards, he had to tell him soon. Had he not been such a mess for the last few weeks, he would have told him already.

But how could he tell him now? Gray did everything he could to get him out of the shell he built around himself. If he told him now, Natsu was sure his friend would say whatever he thought the dragon slayer wanted to hear. He was Salamander's friend after all, and it must have hurt the raven-haired boy to see his pink-haired friend suffer like that. He wouldn't allow the fire mage to build another shell around himself, even if it meant doing something he wouldn't like. And that's not what Natsu wanted. So he would wait for the droopy-eyes to know that he will be alright, whatever his answer was.

What he could do for now, was thank his friend for the way he took care of him last night. He quietly got out of the sleeping bag and went outside. Once he was outside, he stretched before picking one direction and heading there. As he reached a forest, he began searching for an animal scent. He walked around until he picked up a boar's scent. He caught it in no time and brought it back to the entrance of the guildhall, but he didn't enter. He built a fire outside, skinned and cleaned the boar and started to roast it.

As the boar was slowly roasting, he quietly took their water bottles from inside and went to the nearby river to refill them. Returning back to the fire he built, he stayed outside, not wanting to wake his friend up. He sat at the entrance so he could check on the boar every once in a while, while he spent most of his time just watching the raven-haired boy sleep.

After he judged that the boar was ready, he stood up and went to it, taking it off the fire. He prepared their lunch (they were really tired since they slept this long) and was about to head inside to wake the ice-make wizard, when Gray came out.

"Good morning, flame-brain," the ice-make wizard said, stretching.

"I think it's afternoon, but whatever," the fire mage answered, a huge grin on his face, before adding, "Good morning. Did my princess sleep well?"

Gray looked at him with a raised eyebrow and an odd expression on his face. "Your princess?" he asked, looking more amused than angry.

 _Shit,_ Natsu thought, _it just slipped out._ "Yea, cause you're an ice princess," he answered, trying to get out of the hole he dug up under himself. The ice-make wizard looked a little hurt by that comment (and was that disappointment the dragon slayer saw on his face?), but the fire mage was glad he got out of it. He wanted to tell his friend the truth, wanted to tell him more than anything, but this wasn't the time, so he would keep his mouth shut.

"I caught and cooked us some food," he said, changing the topic.

The raven-haired boy laughed. "Some food, he says. You could feed half of Fairy Tail with that boar."

"Well, I eat as much as half a guild, so no meat will be wasted," Natsu answered, looking serious as only he could when the conversation was about food. It wasn't long before his grin returned to his face, and he sank his sharp fangs into boar meat, Gray soon joining him.

They ate in silence, filling their stomachs, until, just like the fire mage predicted, no meat was left. Talking about trivial things for another half an hour, letting the food in their stomachs settle, the dragon slayer watched what he was saying, making sure no other revealing comment came out of his mouth, like it did before. After that, they got ready and set a quick pace out of the forest, towards the town they came there from.

* * *

The next few days went by in a blur. There were no monsters, no one attacked them, no one stopped them. They didn't even see anyone. Gray spent the long walk back either in his thoughts or talking to Natsu. He was trying to think of the way to get the fire mage to thank him for what he had done for him. Not that he needed or wanted the dragon slayer's thanks. He just wanted to tell him his feelings. He couldn't keep this secret anymore.

Just yesterday, after his friend ate, he waited for him to fall asleep, just so he could move his sleeping bag closer. Something about the heat that felt like it would burn his skin off radiating from the pink-haired boy's body screamed "Safety!" in his mind. The way he smelled like a campfire, only hundreds of times better, reminded him of the best days of his life. As that smell filled his nostrils, he could forget about all the horrible things that happened to him in his life, and just live in the present, his whole world focused on the boy near him. He couldn't take much more of this!

A plan formed in his head. After they got back to the guild, after they were officially recognized as S-class wizards, the raven-haired boy would thank his friend for helping him get S-class. He could honestly say that without him, there was no way he would be an S-class wizard. Gray hoped Natsu would see that as enough thanks for helping him get over his fear of being a demon. After that, all the ice-make wizard needed was some time alone with the fire mage where he could open his heart. So, it felt like the dragon slayer read his thought's when he suddenly looked over his shoulder and asked.

"Do you want to do another ten-year job after we get our payback?" There was an odd expression on his face. It looked like he wanted, no, more like needed to ask that question, but he was afraid. The raven-haired boy never saw an expression like that on his friend's face. It was more troubled than any expression he ever saw, but it also held more hope than ever.

The ice-make wizard couldn't figure out what that face could mean, so he just answered the question. "Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing." As he said that, a thought came into his head. Could Natsu be thinking the exact same thing? Sure, he hoped the fire mage felt for him what he felt for the fire mage, but what were the odds he wanted to tell him his feeling at exactly the same time. Gray knew it was more than likely he'll be rejected.

Natsu had an innocent crush on Lisanna as a child, she even declaring they would get married after they grew up, and he looked interested in Lucy now, so would Natsu even take him seriously, seeing as he was a guy? He didn't even know if any guy felt this way toward another guy. Still, he felt it. And all he could hope for was that maybe, with time, his friend would come to feel the same way, but if that was impossible, he hoped they could at least stay friends. Even if the dragon slayer hated him after his confession, even if he would distance himself from the ice-make wizard, it would be better than to live with this heavy secret on his shoulders. The raven-haired boy didn't know how Salamander lived thinking he was a demon all those weeks. Keeping a secret, while knowing there was someone who would listen to you… _No wonder he looked that miserable,_ Gray thought.

It took them four days to reach the town. Without any monsters to fight and Natsu's fast pace, they practically flew through the forest. They had two hours before their train came and left the town station, so as it was around noon, and the train ride would take six hours, they went to a restaurant to eat.

As they ate, the fire mage asked. "Do you think there'll be a party?" His mouth was full, and food flew everywhere, but that childlike nature was one of the things Gray liked about him.

"Depends," he answered. "Gramps may decide to wait for everyone to return, especially if someone else managed to complete their job. But then again, it's Fairy Tail, and we may have a party for every new S-class wizard," the ice-make wizard said, chuckling lightly.

"Who do you think might be able to get S-class besides us?" the dragon slayer asked.

"Juvia was an S-class wizard in Phantom Lord, and Freed's no pushover, so I think they have the best chances to get to S-class. But they could have taken a job in which their magic is completely useless, so there's no way to really know what each team's chances are. While we're on the subject, do you think Gramps knew about your Magic Power? I mean, we were the only pair which wasn't accompanied by an S-class mage."

After thinking for a while, the pink-haired boy spoke slowly. "I don't think so. Can you feel an increase of Magic Power in me?" he asked, and after the ice-make wizard shook his head, he continued. "I don't think my Magic Power increased, at least not directly. It's like some part of me has an unending reservoir of Magic Power but I have no direct control over it. I don't know how much you could've focused on me during the fights, but in no fight have I used any Magic Power. I haven't felt my Magic Power being used since the day I fought Zeref and Acnologia."

Gray was confused. "What do you mean, you aren't using Magic Power! You can't not use Magic Power! It's what powers magic, so saying you're not using Magic Power is like saying you're not using magic!"

Natsu sighed, long ago forgetting the food in front of him, talking grimly like he was on the funeral, but the ice-make wizard saw that he wanted to explain it. "I don't know how else to describe it, but it feels like every magic I use goes through the demon curse, and that's what powers it. I can feel the maximum amount of Magic Power I can put into my magic, and that's what I said I feel is increasing every day, but I can't detect the actual amount of Magic Power in the reservoir in that part of me. I don't think even Zeref knew what he did to me. He was trying to revive me. Only after he succeeded was he thinking of me… ending his life." The raven-haired boy saw tears in his friend's eyes, but he soon blinked them away.

He got the feeling it would be better not to question him about the tears, so he asked something else. "Then how do you know how much Magic Power you have at your disposal? How can you know what the maximal number of Fire Animals you can create, or the maximum time you can use Fire Body?"

"I figured that since I can feel a maximum amount of Magic Power I could use in one attack, as long as I spend less Magic Power than that, it should be safe. As far as I know I could maintain Fire Body forever, since even I don't know how much Magic Power I have. And if anyone saw me fight, they would soon know my secret. I mean, I would use magic, without using my Magic Power. Every wizard who saw me fight would know that something was wrong."

Gray hesitated before asking his next question. "Are you sure you want to challenge team B? You said you don't want anyone to know your secret, and if we do this, the whole guild will know."

"I'm sure!" the fire mage said, a grin returning to his face, and food to his mouth. "It was stupid to keep this a secret from my family for so long. I was afraid everyone would look at me differently, or that some would even hate me, but that's not what family does. That's not what Fairy Tail wizards do. Besides, I couldn't face them all, day after day, with this secret that only we would know. Everyone has a right to know, and they can decide how they want to act around me. I won't care what they decide, because there is one person that told me they would stay by my side no matter what," he ended, looking Gray in the eyes.

"Yeah, there is no way I'd leave you." the ice-make wizard said, the meaning behind those words much deeper than the fire mage knew right then.

Both of them continued their lunch in silence. Natsu was thinking about the only person whose opinion mattered to him, and that person's promise of never leaving him. Gray's thoughts were on the most important person in his life, and how much that person valued him.

* * *

They came to the train stop ten minutes before the train arrived. Natsu was already felling nauseous, but he decided to give the princess' pills one more chance. He swallowed half a box of pills with Gray warning him about an overdose, the fire mage ignoring him.

The train arrived ten minutes later, and they got on it. They took seats next to each other, the ice-make wizard not wanting anything that came out of the dragon slayers mouth to end up on him, Natsu guessed. Besides, there weren't any seats across each other free.

As soon as the train started, the pink-haired boy knew those pills weren't working. The only thing that the pills did, was stop him from vomiting. The feeling he had to endure though, was pure torture. He felt like ants were crawling from his stomach, up his throat, but there was nothing he could do about it. His stomach felt like it wanted to leave his body and the whole world started to tilt.

Natsu turned to Gray and asked him. "Do you mind?" Seeing the look of confusion on his face (was that even his face? Well it doesn't matter), he pointed to his friend's lap with his head, indicating he wanted to lay down.

The ice-make wizard turned around, muttering. "Sure." The dragon slayer thought he saw a hint of red on the raven-haired boy's face, but that wouldn't make any sense, so he credited it to the weird mix of motion sickness and whatever those pills did to him. For the first time in his life, he was glad his face was green. Because, unlike his weird imagination turning Gray's cheeks red, his definitely were as he lay in the lap of the man he was in love with.

The cold legs under his head at least stopped the world from spinning. It gave the fire mage a chance to look up into the raven-haired boy's face. The ice-make wizard was looking away from him, but what he saw of his cheeks wasn't red. He was right: It was all his imagination.

It was stupid to hope that it wasn't his imagination. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up but seeing something like that, he just couldn't help himself. Of course he hoped Gray felt just like him, everyone hoped that the person they love would return their feelings, but as he stopped and thought about it, the chances of that were very low. It was just over a month ago that Natsu finally realized what he felt for the ice-make wizard and he felt like he waited a month to long to tell him. The chances of the raven-haired boy getting or realizing his feelings towards the fire mage at approximately the same time as the dragon slayer had were slim at best, and he would have no reason not to tell them. Not like the pink-haired boy's, not wanting the ice-make wizard to do something he didn't want just because he cared for his friend.

Then there was Juvia. Natsu overheard (read: eavesdropped) Gray's conversation with the girl. The ice-make wizard told her he needed some more time before he could give her an answer, and the fire mage was pretty sure what the question was. Was a guy even capable of looking at other guys like that? But that secret was what weighted down the dragon slayer more than anything else, especially around his friend. The pink-haired boy would open his heart to this man, open his very soul, and wait for the answer. If Gray wanted to leave after that, Natsu would let him. Even though the ice-make wizard promised to stay by his side forever, Salamander loved him too much to watch him suffer, especially because of him.

As sleep finally took him, there was only time for one more thought. I'll tell him everything on our next ten-year job, and I'll respect whatever decision he makes.

* * *

It was all Gray could do to bring his flushed cheeks back to normal. He hoped Natsu hadn't notice anything. The ice-make wizard turned his face away, but part of it was still visible, so he hoped the fire mage was too occupied with motion sickness to notice it, because he didn't know how he would get out of it, and telling the truth here, at this time, was out of the question. The raven-haired boy quickly got the color of his cheeks under control, and he was glad as soon as, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the dragon slayer turn his eyes back to his face.

Soon, the pink-haired boy was asleep in his lap, and Gray turned his eyes out of the window, looking at the scenery. Three hours went by before he realized what he was doing. Somewhere along the ride, his right hand went into the soft hair of the boy sleeping in his lap, threading his fingers through it. The ice-make wizard wanted to stop, that isn't something friends do, after all, but it just felt so right. He felt guilty for doing it, but he just let his hand do what it wanted to do for the rest of the ride.

* * *

Natsu's whole world started shaking. He heard someone's voice calling his name, getting louder and louder. As the voice finally came from just besides him, his eyes opened to see Gray's face above him. He jumped up so fast, their heads almost collided, the ice-make wizard's fast reflexes the only thing that stopped that from happening.

"Come on, flame-brain, we're in Magnolia," the raven-haired boy said as he stood up and took his backpack. The blood that started to rush into the dragon slayer's face stopped as soon as he heard that comment. He remembered how sick he felt and asking Gray if he could lie on his lap. Just as he thought his cheeks would start to burn again, his backpack was thrown at him, the ice-make wizard looking at him and saying, "Come on! If we don't hurry, you'll ride the train for another six hours."

That made the pink-haired boy move. Just the thought of going through that torture again was more than enough to make his legs move.

As they moved through Magnolia, Natsu felt more rested than he had in a long time. He still felt like his stomach was trying to crawl out of his body, and he still felt traces of motion sickness, but for the first time since the invasion he didn't have any nightmares. For the first time, he felt safe as he slept, and he had a feeling Gray, or at least his presence, was responsible for it.

Reaching the guildhall, the boys looked at each other and nodded, before the fire mage lifted his right leg up and kicked the doors. They opened with a loud bang on either side as they collided with the walls. Every wizard inside fell silent.

The pink-haired boy was about to step inside saying something witty, but he froze as he let his gaze wander through the room. Not only were they not the first ones to return, they were the last ones. Lucy, Cana, Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, Freed, Mest and Elfman were all back.

"What are you freezing fo-" the ice-make wizard started, walking by his friend, until he saw what the fire mage was looking at, and froze himself.

Natsu couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew they took a lot of time to getting to their job and back, but Gramps gave them six months to complete their job, and the dragon slayer thought that most of the teams would take at least half that time. As it turned out, everyone was back in less than half a month.

After a few minutes of total silence, Salamander noticed Gramps at the same spot where he announced S-class wizard promotion trial a couple of weeks ago. He had a wide grin on his face, and he looked at the boys standing at the entrance, before he spoke.

"Let's hear it for our newest S-class wizards!" he bellowed, and the silence was finally broken by wild cheers.

That's when the fire mage noticed something strange. None of the other candidates looked particularly happy. If anything, the looks on their faces were ones of disappointment.

As people came to congratulate them, they were slowly pulled into the guildhall. They were dragged to the bar, grins on the boys' faces appearing, when a loud voice was heard.

"Natsu!" the blue Exceed exclaimed from the doors, before flying into the dragon slayer for a hug.

Once his friend congratulated him, the pink-haired boy asked quietly. "What's with them?" indicating the other candidates who didn't seem the least bit interested to join the party that started. Even Cana who usually had a barrel in her hands was just sitting at one of the tables, staring blankly ahead.

Happy answered in a whisper. "Apparently, they got too cocky and tried to finish the jobs they took, wanting to be the first ones to return. They couldn't handle it, and either requested the help from the S-class mages, or the mages came when they saw that they were in danger. The last ones to return were Freed and Juvia, and that had been three days ago."

"You mean we're the only new S-class wizards?" Natsu asked, finally being able to smile honestly. He was afraid that Gray's words became the truth, and that there would be endless teasing from Lucy and Gajeel, but if they failed, they couldn't do that.

"Aye!" the blue Exceed said. As he saw the look of happiness on his friend's face, Happy couldn't help but mimic it.

The party continued long into the night, and at one point Natsu's mood plummeted as he saw the ice-make wizard lead Juvia outside, but with the celebratory mood in the guildhall, he was soon back to his happy self.

The fire mage saw Cana finally leaving to get a barrel of some alcoholic beverage, and leaving Lucy alone at the table, so he went to talk to her.

"Hey!" he said with a huge grin.

"Hey!" the celestial wizard tried to say cheerfully, but failing catastrophically. "Congratulations on getting S-class. I'm really happy for you," she said honestly.

"Thanks," the pink-haired boy answered. "Any I'm sorry you didn't."

"Oh…" she said looking a little ashamed. "Don't be. I'm not. Out of everyone here, I've probably been in Fairy Tail the shortest. I'm just depressed that Cana didn't get it. She really wanted to make Gildarts proud, and he needed to save us in the end. But at least she didn't say she'd leave Fairy Tail like last time. In fact, she told Gildarts that she'd succeed next time."

"That's great! I know she can do it," the dragon slayer said.

"Of course she can do it. It's just that we didn't expect the ten-year job to be so hard. We just went about like it was any normal job and ended up in trouble. We didn't even know that Gildarts was following us, until he came and saved us."

They talked for a while, Natsu asking questions about their job. When Lucy asked about the boy's job, the fire mage said he would tell her another day. He said that there was something Gray and he needed to say to the entire Fairy Tail before they would tell anyone what happened on the job. She clearly didn't have any idea what he could be referring to. After the job, the ice-make wizard and he agreed that nobody must know about Salamander's power until the battle against team B, and that it didn't matter what people thought as long as that was kept secret.

The talk continued for a little longer, the celestial wizard subtly trying to find out what happened during the job. Natsu just innocently answered every question, pretending he couldn't read between the lines, his answers not revealing the truth. Lucy soon got bored of getting nothing and stopped her covert prying.

It was just before midnight. The ice-make wizard hadn't returned since he went outside with Juvia. As Natsu and Happy walked home, the fire mage tried not to show just how much it hurt him to see the raven-haired boy leave with a woman that clearly loved him, and not return afterwards. The walk home was silent and as soon as they reached their house, the dragon slayer went to his room, dropped on the bed and fell asleep with tears staining his face.

* * *

Gray was having fun, especially when Natsu told him that no one else became an S-class wizard besides them. Just like his friend, he froze when he saw everyone was back. It turned out that they all failed, but the thoughts of Gajeel and Lucy laughing at them remained in his mind.

It was already night outside when the ice-make wizard remembered what he had decided on the long train ride home. He made up his mind and walked to Juvia.

"We need to talk," he told her, not looking her in the face. "Can we go outside?"

"Gray-sama wants to talk to Juvia privately?" she asked, not looking as gloomy anymore.

"I promised you an answer after the S-class wizard promotion trial was over," the raven-haired boy said, starting to walk outside.

He walked towards the back of the guild, where no one was at this time, Juvia always two steps behind him. After the ice-make wizard judged they were far enough for no one to hear them, especially a certain dragon slayer, he turned around.

Juvia waited excitedly, but when no words came from the boy in front of her, she spoke. "What did Gray-sama want to tell Juvia?"

There was a silence for another half a minute before the raven-haired boy spoke quietly. "I'm sorry Juvia, but there is someone else who I'm in love with."

Juvia looked like she just heard a joke, but seeing Gray just standing with a determined look on his face, her expression twisted in anger. "A love rival? Is it Lucy?" she asked dangerously.

"No!" he yelled, before he continued in almost a whisper. "No. Even if I loved you, I don't deserve you. Do you know why I never rejected you?" he asked, and after the girl shook her head (although it looked involuntarily), he spoke. "I wasn't aware of the feelings I have towards the person I love, not consciously. And after I learned what I felt, I was almost certain that that person doesn't feel the same. So I kept saying I'd give you your answer, wanting to tell the person I love how I felt, waiting for that person to reject me. If by some miracle the person felt the same, I could tell you the truth, but if I was rejected, I wanted to keep you in reserve," he said, ashamed of how he treated her.

Juvia looked with an impassive look on her face as the ice-make wizard continued. "I wanted to use you. I knew that no matter how I acted, you would be there, and I thought that since it's your decision to be there I could do whatever I wanted. But I figured just how wrong that is. Honestly, I didn't expect you to already be back, so I still haven't told that person my feelings. And I'm glad I haven't, because I feel like I needed to tell you the truth before that."

Both of them were silent for a few minutes, before blue-haired girl spoke. "Juvia is thankful that Gray-sama told her the truth." She turned around, tears falling down her face, and went back.

The raven-haired boy watched until the girl wasn't visible anymore, before he started back to the guild. He was about to enter when he saw the pink-haired boy talking to the blond celestial wizard. Gray saw Lucy talk in a flirtatious way and Natsu just ignoring it like he didn't even notice it. But the ice-make wizard saw that his friend did indeed notice it, acting innocently with a smile on his face. It broke his heart to see the man he loved talk that way to a beautiful woman in front of him.

Not wanting anyone to know just how much that hurt him, he turned around and walked back home. He reached his apartment, slammed the door shut, went to his bedroom, dropping head first onto the bed, and cried himself to sleep.


	8. Natsu's Decision

**Chapter 8: Natsu's Decision**

Natsu woke up the day after the party. He remembered everything that happened last night, but he didn't let it influence his mood. He was finally an S-class wizard, and today Gray and he would get revenge for the humiliation of team A.

The fire mage didn't know why it hurt him so much to see the raven-haired boy leave with Juvia. He knew that there was a good chance he would end up with her, but it didn't lessen his pain, and it didn't interfere with his plans of telling the ice-make wizard his feelings on their next ten-year job.

He got off his bed, took a fresh set of clothes (which just so happened to look the same as the ones he was always wearing), and went to the bathroom to take a scalding hot shower. The dragon slayer dried himself using his flames, put on his fresh clothes along with the scarf he was always wearing, and made some breakfast for himself and his Exceed friend.

After they ate, with Natsu acting like his usual self, they headed towards the guild. About halfway toward the guildhall they met Gray, heading in the same direction.

"Good morning, ice princess," the pink-haired boy greeted his friend cheerfully, coming from behind him and startling the ice-make wizard.

"Oh… flame-brain. Morning. You too, Happy," he greeted back. He had a pained look on his face as he asked. "We're still going on that ten-year job?"

"Of course!" the fire mage answered. "We can go as soon as we're done with what we've planned."

"You mean today?" the raven-haired boy asked surprised.

"Yea. I think it would be best to let people sort their feelings about it without me here," the dragon slayer said, his face serious.

"What are you talking about?" the Exceed asked confused. "Are you going on another ten-year job? Can I come too?"

"I'm sorry buddy, but I think it would be better if you stay here. We'll take some job where we don't have to travel so long, so we'll be back in less than a week, and then we can take a job together. Yea, we'll take one with the entire team, okay?" Salamander asked his friend.

"Aye," Happy said unenthusiastically.

Natsu saw the sad expression on his blue friend's face, so he stopped, telling Gray to go to the guild, that they'll be there soon, before pulling the Exceed into a small alley.

Happy looked confused, so the dragon slayer spoke. "I'm sorry Happy, for leaving you again only a day after I came home, but there is something I have to tell everyone, and I think they'll need time to process it. I know you won't care about it when you find out. Gray knows and I don't think I would feel comfortable with someone else who knows about it around me," the fire mage said truthfully, even if it wasn't the whole truth. "For now," he added.

"Why did you tell Gray?" the blue Exceed asked looking a little hurt. "Am I not your friend?" he finished sadly.

"Of course you are, buddy!" the pink-haired boy said, hugging his friend. "Of course you are, and I would've told you if not for the trial. I had to tell droopy-eyes since it has something to do with my power. I had to tell him so we could finish the job."

"Do you promise not to be that sad again?" his blue friend suddenly asked. "Do you promise to tell me if there is something that makes you sad?"

Natsu chuckled lightly before answering. "I can't promise I'll never be sad again, but if I ever am, I promise I'll tell you why, okay? I'll never let anything keep me away from my family. Never."

"Aye!" the Exceed said, pulling away with a happy expression. "Let's go to the guild."

As they walked towards the guildhall, Happy suddenly remembering the previous conversation, asked. "What do you have planned?"

"Oh, you'll see," the fire mage answered with an evil grin.

They reached the guild, and before anyone could ask anything, before anyone could stop him, the pink-haired boy walked to the bar. He jumped onto it and bellowed. "I CHALLENGE TEAM B TO A BATTLE!" The guild went into an uproar.

* * *

Makarov was sitting in his office. He heard Natsu was about to enter the guild, so he went into the guild's main room, to officially recognize him and Gray, who came here a few minutes ago, as S-class wizards. As he came to the railing overlooking the main room, he heard the fire mage issue his challenge, and every wizard starting to shout. It was unbelievable how much the boy changed back to his old self in only two weeks on a job.

"Silence!" the short guild master yelled, and all mouths shut, all heads turned toward him. "A challenge has been issued. Does team B accept it?" he asked looking at his grandson.

"It's hardly a fair fight if it's five on one," the lightning mage said, looking at his challenger.

"How about this. Cana doesn't have to fight since she never embarrassed any of team A members, and I'll have Gray join me."

"And what are we fighting for?" the blond wizard asked.

"If we win-" the fire mage started.

"Like that's ever going to happen!" Gajeel snorted.

The fire dragon slayer shot him an annoyed look, before he continued, correcting himself. "Three days after we win, the members of team B which will fight, that is to say: Laxus, Gajeel, Mirajane and Juvia will get on their knees, and beg for forgiveness from team A members they embarrassed during the day they could do whatever they wanted with us," the pink-haired boy finished with a grin, this one showing more of his sharp fangs, looking eviler.

"And if we win?" Laxus asked, not looking the least bit concerned of what they may have to do.

"Pick whatever you want. You're not wining!" Natsu said with certainty which shocked everyone in the guildhall except for Gray.

Laxus thought for a few minutes, everyone in the guildhall giving him ideas which would embarrass the boys if they lost. Finally, he spoke. "If we win, you and your friend over there" he said pointing to the ice-make wizard, "will wear women's clothing for a month." Laughter spread throughout the guild like wildfire, but the lightning mage was not done yet. "You'll have to wear panties, a bra, a skirt, a low-cut blouse, and high heels. You'll have to walk through town dressed like that, from your home to the guild every day in the morning at eight. The only time you're allowed to take those cloths off is in your home." Most of the guild members laughed so hard, they looked like they'll asphyxiate. Even Makarov had to chuckle at how embarrassing that would be.

But there were two boys in the guild who weren't laughing. Gray and Natsu didn't even look worried. The pink-haired boy just shouted, "Sure!" over the deafening roar. As people noticed how easily he agreed, the laughter died.

The master took that short silence to start talking. "Then it is decided. Your battle will begin at noon in the arena." Makarov saw questioning looks turn towards him. "We just repaired Magnolia and I won't allow you to destroy it in your fights anymore. So we got some land from the mayor, and I had Laki build an arena. Freed put runes around it, so it's safe for spectators. It's just outside town. Talk to Freed and Laki, they can point you towards it. Make sure you're there before noon, because if one side doesn't show up, they will be deemed losers. You have a little under three hours to prepare," he said, heading back to his office.

He knew Natsu and Gray had a trump card. Not even they would be this reckless against what were practically four S-class wizards, even if Juvia and Gajeel weren't technically S-class (not in Fairy Tail, anyway). Makarov heard some things about the boys' job. Apparently, they fought and got rid of tens of thousands of monsters. If that was true, that would truly be a feat more than worthy of S-class wizards. After all, Erza fought a hundred monsters during the last Grand Magic Games they participated in, and she managed to defeat them, but she used a large amount of her Magic Power. He had complete faith in Fairy Tail wizards, but he didn't think there were any other two who could defeat as many monsters as the boys allegedly had. The master was really looking forward to the show he would be seeing.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait for the battle to learn their trump card. About an hour after the challenge was made, the boys knocked on his doors. Makarov was surprised to see a job flyer in Gray's hand. The boys told him what was going on, about the fire mage's demon power, and asked him if he could tell the others. Natsu wanted to let his guild members deal with the news without him around, so after they've won (and Gray said that there was no way they would lose), they'd go on another ten-year job. The small guild master actually agreed that what they were doing was for the best. Not many people knew Natsu's history, and those who knew, waited for him to reveal it to others. Having some time to think about it would help people realize that this new information didn't change who Natsu was. Besides, if people learn that Gray knew about it and he still accepted the fire mage without any bad feelings towards him, others were likely to get over it faster. So Makarov told them that they can leave on their job, immediately after the battle.

* * *

Two hours later, the master was sitting in the arena stands. More than half of Magnolia came to watch the fight, and almost all the arena sits were filled. Surveillance Lacrimas flew all around the fighting field. It was a minute to noon, and the challengers were already waiting on one side of the arena. Soon team B joined them on the other. The fight was about to start, when Natsu spoke.

"Just to make it fair, we won't attack you for the first five seconds," he said to the angry looks of members of team B. Surprisingly, the member that looked angriest was Juvia, and that anger was targeted at the ice-make wizard. By the comments he heard, he wasn't the only one to notice the odd behavior of the blue-haired woman.

Using Sound Magic, Makarov turned the volume of his voice up, as he shouted, "Begin!"

With the word still in the air, the master heard two almost identical shouts coming from the challengers.

"Fire Body!"

"Ice Body!"

The boys told him about Natsu's problems with using Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. They told him he used Fire Magic, because that was the magic he could precisely control, but they hadn't said anything about the way he used it.

The flames came off the fire mage, surrounding him, hiding him. They expanded, growing bigger, taking form. Just as the dragon slayer's flames kept growing, so did the ice-make wizard's ice. Neither of them was visible, taking residence inside their new bodies.

Five seconds passed, the time they said they wouldn't attack, before their bodies formed. In the fighting field, in front of surprised team B stood a huge fire dragon, and an ice giant. They must've been about twenty meters high.

As the dragon bellowed and shot flames high into the sky, Makarov noticed the silence that fell over the arena. No one was moving, no one was talking, no one was even breathing. The sight really was breathtaking. The giants were the only ones moving.

"You're five seconds are up!" was heard from the dragon, in a deep voice, almost a growl.

Four wizards in front of the giants could only watch as huge arms went towards them. A few seconds before the hands reached the wizards, looks of confusion were on their faces. It looked like they wanted to move, but something was keeping then in place.

Just as the hands almost reached them, the immobilized wizard changed their tactics. Laxus turned his body into lightning, Gajeel turned into a shadow, Juvia into water, and they escaped whatever was holding them down. The only wizard left immobilized was Mirajane, and she used Satan Soul: Mirajane Alegria.

Finally, the huge hands connected with their target, and the only wizard left standing there. The hands went down to the floor effortlessly. As they lifted, the only thing remaining behind was a defeated S-class wizard: Mirajane Strauss.

The dragon roared, and suddenly the whole floor of the fighting field burst out into flames. Juvia, in her water form, was left trapped somewhere under those flames, while Gajeel was thrown out of the shadows through which he escaped the last attack, shadows being banished by the brilliant light of the flames. Only the lightning mage was not affected by the flames on the ground, as he was flying in the sky.

Makarov focused on Natsu, and he could feel what the boy told him. The fire mage's Magic Power wasn't dropping, wasn't being depleted. Had they not told him, and if he knew someone else was capable of using this kind of magic, he would think that someone else was using it, not the fire dragon slayer.

One sided battle continued. The remaining two wizards they could see, and probably Juvia somewhere under those flames, were at a loss for what to do. Their guild master couldn't blame them. They just stood, or flew, there in one spot waiting. The only sounds in the whole arena were coming from the magic being unleashed. Even if there was someone capable of talking before a display of power such as this, it wouldn't be heard over the roar of the giants.

As if thinking the lack of sound was because of the unexciting display of magic before them, with a particularly loud roar from the dragon, animals made of fire started emerging from his body. From the legs connected to the ground, lions, tigers, elephants and other animals appeared, going for Gajeel, and Juvia, around who the flames retracted enough for her to get up. From every other part of the huge dragon, small dragons formed, flying after Laxus, relentlessly pursuing the mage.

It didn't take long for the three wizards to succumb to the overwhelming power of their opponents. They were defeated, knocked unconscious.

Fire animals, and the two giants slowly dispersed, and once the victorious wizards emerged from the giants, it was like the people finally remembered where there were. A cheer, loud enough to feel like the whole minute of the fight was put into it, went up.

The only ones still too surprised, awestruck, and a few probably terrified to cheer were the Fairy Tail's wizards next to the master. He couldn't blame them. If he hadn't known anything before he saw this, he would have probably fainted, especially when the fact of who was wielding this kind of power hit him.

He asked Gray to stay after the boys were about to leave. The raven-haired boy assured him Natsu knew how dangerous it would be to carelessly use the power he had. That, and the fact that the forest where they did the ten-year job was still there, were probably the only things that kept the guild master, who knew the fire mage's tendencies to go overboard all too well, from locking the dragon slayer in the guild and not allow him to leave.

Boys, down on the fighting field, bowed several times, in every direction, before they left the arena. Before they left Magnolia, Makarov knew.

The master looked at his children around him. Everyone's eyes were huge. Most of the faces were covered in surprise or puzzlement, but all of them had at least a hint of terror on them. It was indeed a smart decision for them to leave Magnolia for a few days, especially considering what the Fairy Tail wizards will soon find out.

The walk back to the guild was long. Mest was pushing the small wizard's wheelchair, but even he was looking like he was in a daze. His children walked silently, like a horde of Ichiyas, only the sound of 'sniff, sniff' missing. If not for the town's people walking next to them, still talking loudly and excitedly about what they just saw, someone would think that they had a death in the guild, especially since they were carrying four unconscious wizards with them.

They reached the guildhall, and as the defeated wizards were carried over to the infirmary, Makarov headed to the second floor. As he moved with his wheelchair through the guild, the wizards started talking. They talked about what they saw, but there was one question he heard being asked over and over again. "Where are Natsu and Gray?"

He reached the second floor, and he saw everyone looking at him expectedly until Lucy finally asked, "What was that in the arena?"

Eight guild master of Fairy Tail didn't know what to say. He thought about whether he should tell them everything, despite some of the members being in the infirmary. Deciding to tell them what he could, he began. "I can only tell you what Natsu and Gray told and a little I learned from some other sources."

Before he could say anything more, someone interrupted him. "You knew!?" Laxus came out of the hall which led to the infirmary, holding his head, with his wounded teammates, followed by the wizards that carried them all back here, and Wendy. "Where are those two anyway?"

"Natsu thought it would be better if you learn this without him here, and after seeing what I saw in the arena I'd have to agree," the master said.

Everyone started talking at once.

"Where is that pink-haired idiot?"

"What are you talking about, Master?"

"Why is Gray with him?"

"Silence!" the small wizard roared, and the silence filled the guildhall once more. "You'll have to decide for yourself what you want to do after I tell you everything, but under no circumcises must what you learn now get out of Fairy Tail," Makarov said with a look that made everyone nod.

He let the silence fill the room for a few seconds, before he started his story. "After I used Fairy Law during the invasion, I expanded all of my lifeforce. I didn't know it at that moment, but I was saved by Mavis and Zeref." There were sharp gasps throughout the guildhall. "They gave what they could of their lifeforces. Since then, I've been having flashes of memories and thoughts. Theirs memories and thoughts."

"What's that got to do with Natsu?" someone in the hall yelled.

The master saw some people knew what it had to do with the fire mage. Lucy, Happy, they knew, at least a part of it. "It has a lot to do with Natsu. After all, Zeref is Natsu's brother." Makarov thought they were shocked when they saw the fight in the arena. That didn't even come close to the looks on their faces now.

He continued his story fast, like ripping the band-aid off a wound. He told them everything he knew. The memories he got from Zeref, memories of a pink-haired boy being crushed to death near his dead parents, a dark-haired boy doing everything he could to bring his brother back. After telling them of Natsu's past, the master started telling them of the events that unfolded in the invasion, until he reached the things only he and the boys knew.

Makarov suddenly asked. "You've all heard of E.N.D. Zeref's ultimate demon." With everything they just heard, nobody even noticed the sudden change of topic.

There were nods throughout the room, until someone finally spoke, "Didn't Gray and Lucy kill that demon?" before all eyes turned to the only mentioned wizard in the room. But it wasn't her who spoke up, it was the small wizard on the second floor.

"They never had any intention of killing the demon." _At least not when they came to their senses,_ Makarov thought. "They hoped to destroy the demon part of that person, but never kill the person itself. After all, how could any Fairy Tail wizard want to kill a member of their family?" he asked, before he had to stop to take a break.

It was more than enough for some of his children to put the pieces together. "You don't mean…" Levy said putting her hands on her mouth, gasping loudly, pulling every eye onto herself.

"Yes," the master continued quietly, "E.N.D. Etherious Natsu Dragneel, Zeref's ultimate demon. The culmination of his dark work, all those experiments, the curse he had to suffer, it was all to bring his brother back." After some time, he continued. "Lucy and Gray thought that by separating Natsu from the book of E.N.D. they effectively destroyed the part that made him demon, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

The master could see tears on the pink-haired boy's closest friends. Lucy, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Carla, they were all crying. Others were crying too, but nobody as much as them. None of them knew what he was speaking of, all of this new information to them.

"Natsu said he can feel the demon power growing stronger in him. He doesn't think it will change him as a person, he would still be in control of himself, but you saw what it did to his power."

Makarov waited a few seconds, letting that sink in, but before he could continue, Laxus shouted. "You mean, you let that destructive idiot, who now has enough power to probably destroy a city, go on a job!?" There were shouts of agreement, while the fire dragon slayer's teammates could only cry louder at the insult.

"I know more than anyone here just how destructive Natsu can be," the master said, starting with a shout as to be hear over all the voices. "I talked with the councilman that went after them during their last job, to arrest the dark guild members. He said that there was no trace of destruction." _Except a new ravine in the forest, which the councilman knew couldn't be a work of a single wizard,_ Makarov thought to himself. "And he has Gray to stop him from doing anything too stupid," he finished.

"Does Gray know?" Laxus asked.

"Does he know that Natsu's demon part wasn't destroy?" the master asked looking at his grandson who nodded. "He knows," he simply said.

"And he's all right with it? After one of Zeref's demons did all that to him, he's fine with it?" there was a dubious look on the lightning mage's face.

"I didn't see any trace of hatred in his eyes, and he didn't express any concerns. He just spent two weeks with Natsu, so he would know better than anyone else if the boy has changed or not. Anyway, you'll have a few days before they return to sort your feelings. Just please," Makarov said quietly, but it was heard in the silent room by everyone, "please remember that Natsu is still part of Fairy Tail, of our family and this must be harder on him than on any of us." The master finished talking and left his children to their thoughts as he retreated back to his office.


	9. The Secret Told

**Chapter 9: The Secret Told**

Gray was glad they were leaving the arena. The cheers could be heard far from the arena, but it didn't mean anything to the ice-make wizard. The looks on the faces of his guildmates hurt him, even though they weren't aimed at him. Sure, he knew they would be surprised, but all of them were terrified of Natsu. Even though the fire mage didn't say or show anything, the raven-haired boy saw in his eyes that it hurt him too. They walked toward the train station in silence.

As the cheers from the arena faded in the distance, the ice-make wizard spoke. "They'll get over it."

"Will they?" the dragon slayer asked looking like he has just been beaten. "Happy, Lucy, Wendy, all of them were scared. Even Erza looked terrified!" he said in a loud voice. They walked in silence for a minute, before the pink-haired boy asked quietly. "Why weren't you, Gray?"

"I had more reasons than any of them have for not wanting to be afraid of you," the raven-haired boy said, hesitantly revealing a small part of his feelings.

Natsu chuckled lightly. "Really? I would have thought you would have more reasons to be terrified of me than any of them."

"Maybe that's it then," the ice-make wizard said, not wanting to make this day even harder for his friend by revealing what he felt, and pushing Natsu away from everyone, when he needed others the most. "Maybe I used everything bad I felt during the invasion, when we fought. After everything that clouded my mind was gone, I saw my friend standing in front of me, not a demon, a destructive wizard, or a flame-brain idiot," he finished, getting a light chuckle out of the boy next to him. _And now I see the man I love in front of me,_ he thought to himself.

"Who would have thought you could act like a true friend when you wanted to, ice princess?" the pink-haired boy said, his grin growing.

"Hey!" the ice-make wizard playfully complained. "I'm trying to cheer you up here. Why would you insult me?" he asked, bumping into the fire mage.

The fire dragon slayer just laughed. "Well, you should have thought of that before. If you hadn't cheered me up, I wouldn't have insulted you." Natsu then changed his expression and voice, trying (and succeeding fairly well) to mimic Erza. "Think before you act! Or is that head there just to keep bugs from going down your throat?"

The walk to the train station was filled with laughter, and Gray was glad to see his friend acting cheerfully. One time they made fun of Erza, and they thought they saw the redhead walk by, they immediately stopped, laughter dying. The ice-make wizard knew they hadn't stopped because of the fear of the requip mage. The pain on Natsu's face confirmed it, and he knew exactly why it was there. He couldn't get Erza's, not terrifying, but terrified face out of his mind, and he knew the dragon slayer couldn't either.

The raven-haired boy started joking soon afterwards, trying to banish that image out of their mind, and was glad that the laughter returned not long after.

They made their way towards the train station, where they bought tickets, and boarded their train without the dragon slayer taking the pills. He said he'd rather feel like his body was trying to throw out all the food he ate, than "like it wants to eject my stomach, while the ants crawl up my throat while the world spins around" feeling as he said the pills made him feel.

Two hours they rode the train, with Natsu awake the whole time, retching most of it, and even vomiting a few times, luckily, out the window. There was no way to talk about the job with the fire mage in that condition, but the flyer wasn't really all that informational to begin with, so they couldn't discuss the job anyway. All it said was that there was cave near the town they were heading for, and whoever (or whatever, because the flyer said creature) was inside was looking for a single person. There weren't any additional notes from the wizards that went there before them, and even though the flyer said a single person, they took the job because it was the closest one, even if the pay was less than most of the normal jobs. If whoever gave a job had a problem with both of them working, one of them could just wait in the town.

When they reached their destination, the pink-haired boy grabbed his backpack and ran out of the train like someone was chasing him. Gray thought that in a way someone was, although Natsu couldn't face that someone and he couldn't fight it. The ice-make wizard went after the boy, finding him sitting on a bench just outside the train, still green in the face.

"You all right?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"Yea," the fire mage said, not looking the least bit all right. "I just forgot how bad motion sickness can be. What those pills made me feel was torture, but this isn't much better. At least I didn't have to suffer through the pills' torture the whole ride," he said with a weak smile, looking at the boy standing in front of him.

"Come on." the ice-make wizard said, feeling his cheeks heat up at the memory of their last train ride, starting out of the train station to hide it. "It's a few hours walk to the cave, and I don't intend to spend a night out if we don't have to. We'll find a place to sleep in the town today, and we can head to the cave tomorrow."

"Sure." Natsu said with his head held down, as if someone had defeated him.

They found a hotel and rented a room. This time too, Gray payed for the room, though he did it because both of them had more jewels than they would need in their whole lives. They entered their room, left their backpacks, and as the ice-make wizard was about to leave it, the boy with him talked.

"Can we talk?" the fire mage asked hesitantly. It was the first thing either of them said since the train station.

"Yeah, sure. Come on, we can talk while we check if this town has anything interesting to offer. We can look for a place for a dinner too," the raven-haired boy offered.

"No. Here," Salamander said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, seeing the troubled look on his friend's face. He went to sit next to him on the bed. The dragon slayer just looked at the floor.

"I promised I'd tell you everything before the S-class trial job was done. The job is done, and I still haven't told you everything." He was talking quietly, as if he was afraid of waking someone up.

"It's all right," the ice-make wizard said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We both thought the job would last a lot longer than it did. Take as long as you need."

"No!" the pink-haired boy said with determination, finally looking the person next to him in the eyes. "There are some things I want to tell you, but I can't. Not until I tell you everything else first." He turned his face to the floor again. "You'd probably find out when we return to the guild anyway. I saw it on Gramps' face that he already knows, and I'm sure he'll tell everyone. The least I can do is tell you myself, and not let you learn it from someone else."

The raven-haired boy put his hands on the fire mage's shoulders and turned him so they faced one another. "Do you plan on running away?" he asked in a serious voice.

"What? Why would you ask me that?" the dragon slayer asked, clearly confused.

"I already told you that I won't leave, and that I won't allow you to run away for some stupid reason. Whatever you say or don't say, whatever you do or don't do, that won't change. So, I'll listen to anything you have to say, but it won't change anything. You'll always have at least one friend."

"I won't," Natsu whispered, looking away in sadness from the dark blue eyes. "When I tell you everything, our friendship will end. Whatever you decide, our friendship will end, there isn't a possibility where that doesn't happen." There were a few seconds of silence, before he continued, relief filling his face. "But before anything else, I have to tell you the truth about me."

"What are you talking about? I already know the truth about you," the ice-make wizard said.

"I don't know how much you learned when you found out that I was E.N.D., but you don't know everything." The fire mage paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and thinking of how to explain everything he wanted to. "I keep having nightmares," he finally said, putting an impassive look on his face, looking determined not to show any emotion. "Since I remembered my past, every dream, every night start's the same. I'm sitting at the table, with my parents." He looked at Gray as he said the next part. "Our parents. Zeref's and mine." The ice-make wizard's face must have shown him that he knew Zeref was his brother, so he didn't bother to explain.

"Just as I figure who the people sitting with me are, everything disappears. The scene which comes next is rarely the same, but it's never pleasant. Most of the time I have to watch my parents, Igneel, my brother, or other people die. And I'm always covered in their blood. Their blood is on my hands," the dragon slayer said, the impassive look on his face falling to pieces, tears running down his cheeks. The only thing the raven-haired boy could do was hug his friend, making sure he knew that he wasn't alone, as he continued through the cries, saying over and over, "Their blood is on my hands!"

Gray couldn't console him. The ice-make wizard could see how his friend could blame himself for the deaths of his family, but he didn't know what 'other people' the pink-haired boy mentioned meant. Gray knew exactly how it felt to watch your family die before your eyes, unable to help them. You blame yourself for their deaths, for being unable to do anything to help them, for being alive while they were dead. He blamed himself for a long time, and he still felt guilty for it, but he knew now that there was nothing anyone could have done to save them.

What he couldn't even imagine was how his friend felt at the moment. He learned the black wizard was his brother, that he was a demon, remembered his parents' death, and apparently blamed himself for who knows how many people's deaths.

It took Natsu a good five minutes to calm down. He continued talking, his head still buried into Gray's chest. "I'm the reason they're all dead."

The ice-make wizard couldn't take it anymore so he asked quietly, but firmly. "Who are you talking about?"

"Everyone," the fire mage answered. "I wanted to see a dragon so badly and I saw it that night, as everything was destroyed," he continued, tears falling from his onyx eyes, but his voice wasn't breaking, like he wanted to get this over with as fast as he could. "We were running for the forest when a part of the building flew by me and took my parents with it. Zeref told me we should head for the forest, but I couldn't… I couldn't leave them. I ran for them, I tried to wake them up, but they wouldn't move. I knew they were dead. And then Zeref called out to me. I looked up and saw that that building part was starting to fall, that it would crush me, but I didn't care. I didn't want to live anymore, so I just stayed there on my knees, and waited to be crushed."

"So you blame yourself for Zeref becoming a black wizard? You think you're responsible for everything he did?" the raven-haired boy guessed.

"Of course I do!" the dragon slayer said shocked, like he couldn't believe someone would even need to ask that. "What if I hadn't given up, if I hadn't been crushed? None of what happened would have happen. Everyone that suffered because of Zeref, everyone that died. Your whole village was destroyed, your family died, all because of me, because I gave up. What if-"

"you survived?" the ice-make wizard finished. "What would you do had you survived? If Zeref brought you back, don't you think he would have tried to do the same for your parents?" the fire mage was totally still in his arms. "You would have helped him, no doubt, so, what if, because you survived, there wouldn't be black wizard Zeref, but black wizards Zeref and Natsu? Besides, have you even thought of the family you have in Fairy Tail? Lucy never would have joined, Happy's egg wouldn't be found, Erza would have been sacrificed in the Tower of Heaven, Cait Shelter would have been destroyed with Wendy and Carla in them, Earthland would lose guild after guild to the Anima, and I would have probably died on Galuna Island."

"Are you saying it was for the better for me to die, to give up?" the pink-haired boy in his arms asked, his voice sounding hurt, sad, and at the same time hopeful like he wanted someone to tell him that what he did wasn't wrong.

"No! If you ever give up like that I'll… uh…" he stammered for a few seconds before continuing. "I don't even know what punishment would suffice. I'm saying that it happened. Nothing you do, say, think, or feel will change that. You have to live with that. Didn't you say that Igneel taught you to speak of your future? I understand that you wanted me to know, but I already told you I won't change my mind, whatever you say. Everything that happened in your past made you into the person that's in front of me. Maybe you didn't remember what happened, but that moment shaped you, even probably made you into a person that never gives up. How could anyone leave or even hate you because of the moment that shaped one of your best features. Maybe that moment was the birth of the black wizard Zeref, but you can't forget that it was also the birth of the fire dragon slayer, Fairy Tail's Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, the person in front of me."

They stayed like that, Natsu pressed to Gray's chest, for a few minutes, when the ice-make wizard remembered something the boy said. "How could Gramps know that? You said you could tell he knew, but if you didn't tell him, then who did?"

"Zeref," the pink-haired boy answered simply.

"What do you mean Zeref!?" the ice-make wizard asked surprised.

"Gramps used all his lifeforce with that last Fairy Law. It was Mavis and Zeref who gave what they could of their lifeforce to him. I don't know if Mavis had or not, but I know Zeref, along with his lifeforce, gave some of his memories and thoughts. I can feel a part of Zeref in Gramps. Whatever else could be said about him, he cared for me, and he must've known how I would act, so he decided to tell someone else the truth. If I had to guess, he probably asked Gramps to look after me."

Gray continued to hold the dragon slayer close to him until he felt the boy's even breathing against his naked chest. He didn't know if the fire mage noticed anything, and if he did, why he hadn't commented on it, but lately the ice-make wizard only stripped in front of the man he loved. It wasn't conscious, but the fact was that he didn't strip in front of other people anymore. Whatever it was, it was, at least to some extent, getting him rid of the habit he hated so much. There were days now where he went without losing a piece of his clothing.

The raven-haired wizard took the legs of the boy lying against him with one of his hands and slipped them up the bed. He leaned against the bed's headboard, and still holding his friend, he let him sleep.

Natsu was already sleeping for a few hours, all the while Gray held him, watching over him like he was daring the nightmares to come. The sun went down and the ice-make wizard thought that the pink-haired boy would sleep through the night, when he woke up. Apparently, even the dragon slayer's sleep wasn't enough to keep his mind off of food, seeing as he woke up with a loud protest of his stomach.

The fire mage woke up, looking around confusedly, before rushing to the bathroom to relieve himself, while he asked, "Where you holding me from when I fell asleep," on the way there, not looking back.

The raven-haired boy was glad that Salamander left the room, because as the realization of what he did hit him, the blood rushed to his cheeks. He got the color of his face under control, and when the dragon slayer came back to room, answered with the thought that was going through his mind as the fire mage fell asleep. "Yeah. You needed sleep and I didn't want to wake you up."

The boy he loved just turned to the door and announced, "Now I need food!" as he headed out, and the ice-make wizard couldn't help but laugh at the comic scene of the fire mage saying that with his right hand held over his head, and his index finger pointing up.

* * *

Natsu couldn't believe how rested he felt. For the first time in more than a month, he didn't have a nightmare. It was like whoever tortured him every night in his sleep was afraid of Gray. Just the thought of the ice-make wizard holding him as he slept made his cheeks flush and made him glad a wind picked up so he could pull his scarf over half his face, hiding them. They were looking for a place to eat, walking in silence, and the fire mage got a feeling that the raven-haired boy was afraid to talk. "I'm fine," he said trying to reassure his friend.

"Are you really?" he asked dubiously, and an expression on his face that said that wasn't all he was thinking about.

"Yea, I am. It's just…" the dragon slayer said, feeling a little sadder. "It's just that I never talked about my parents. I never even thought much about them before the invasion. I mean, I knew I had to have had parents, a family, but I thought that either they didn't want me or they're dead, so I just looked at Igneel as my dad. And then I find out I'm a demon, my brother is the black wizard Zeref, and I had parents that loved me, parents that died four hundred years ago. Even though they died so long ago, to me it feels like just a month has passed. I lost every blood relative I had a month ago," he wasn't about to cry, but his expression was full of sadness and hurt. "But I'll be all right. I just need some time," the pink-haired boy said, putting a grin on his face, which immediately brightened the ice-make wizard's face.

"Fine!" the raven-haired boy said with a smile. "As long as you don't go giving up on life, I can give you time. Now where will we eat?"

The boys continued their search throughout the town for the perfect place for a dinner, smiling and laughing as they went, the heavy conversations they had today forgotten, even if just for a while.


	10. Soulmates

**Chapter 10: Soulmates**

Natsu's head was positioned so that he was hit by the sun's first rays. He woke up from a nightmare, but as he opened his eyes, and Gray's face came into his view, he completely forgot it. With the rest he got in the raven-haired boy's arms yesterday, he felt like he could go a year without sleep. Maybe his body couldn't take that, but his mind definitely could.

The fire wizard decided to lie there and watch the boy on a twin bed across from him sleep. It didn't last long, as the sunlight reached the ice-make wizard's face and he stirred. The dragon slayer slowly sat on his bed, looking in front of himself, rubbing the sleep out of his onyx eyes, and stretching, making it look like he just woke up. He slowly got out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom, for his morning routine.

The sun had been in the sky for less than two hours when they headed for the forest and the cave. In those two hours, they ate breakfast and checked out of the hotel.

As they walked, they filled their time with talk. The pink-haired boy still wasn't comfortable casually talking about what they talked the day before (it's been less than a day since he told him!), but Gray carefully approached the subject, like he was feeling if the ground was stable. When he felt he went too far, he pulled back, convincing his friend that he didn't do anything wrong. "You still can't control your emotions, so how could you expect your child self to be able to?" the ice-make wizard said, trying to lighten the mood.

They talked about all sorts of things ranging from the battle they had in Magnolia to the first time they meet. The thoughts of them being annoying to each other in the beginning made them laugh now. Gray had just said something about the arena battle, when Natsu remembered something odd he had seen before it and asked.

"Hey, Gray, why did Juvia look like she wanted to murder you?" the dragon slayer asked. He planned to ask his friend immediately after the battle, but the terrified faces on his guildmates made him completely forget it till now. And he didn't get it. The ice-make wizard left with her the night before, never returned back to the guild, so what exactly happened between them to make the blue-haired woman so mad. Whatever 'Gray-sama' did, it never made her angry, and the fire mage thought he wanted to talk to her privately to give her an answer he promised before the trial. _She must've not liked the answer,_ the pink-haired boy thought, _but he rejected her before, and it never even discouraged her, much less made her angry._

"Oh, that…" he said, scratching the back of his neck, and laughing nervously. "I told her something she didn't want to hear. I didn't want to hurt her, but had I not told her, it would just have hurt her more in the end."

"You rejected her!?" the dragon slayer asked, sounding a little too happy than he thought he should. He got his excitement under control and continued. "I mean, you lived together when the guild disbanded after Tartaros, and then you sacrificed yourselves for each other. I never thought you'd reject her."

"You'd sacrifice yourself for me, wouldn't you? Does that mean you love me?" the ice-make wizard asked, a little bit of anger in his voice, like the fire mage asked a stupid question.

The pink-haired boy closed his eyes, put the widest grin he could on his face, putting his sharp fangs on displayed, and not wanting to lie to his friend, truthfully said. "Of course! I love everyone in Fairy Tail!" He put everything he had into it, making it sound as childishly innocent as it could, trying to convince the raven-haired boy he didn't get the meaning of those words. There were a few seconds of silence which made Natsu open his eyes, only to find his friend sitting on the ground, his legs pulled to his chest, arms on the knees, head hidden in them. "Gray! You okay!?" he asked, thinking something was wrong.

"Yeah, fine. Just… just give me a few minutes," the ice-make wizard answered.

* * *

Gray sat on the dirt with his head hidden, primarily so he could hide his burning cheeks. _How stupid was that?_ he thought to himself. It just flew out. If he said it two months ago, he wouldn't have even given it a second thought, but now…

He was thankful for the flame-brain's childlike innocence. If not for that, his friend would either answer the question truthfully, or ignored it altogether, and the raven-haired boy didn't know which would be worst.

After a few minutes like that, he stood up, gripping the dragon slayers offered hand. "I might have eaten too much," he said to the questioning look of his friend. Sure, it wasn't why he was on the ground, but he did eat too much food for breakfast. They continued towards the cave, the fire mage throwing a few worried looks at him along the way, to which he could only roll his eyes.

Finally, they reached the cave that the job flyer described. They went inside and walked on the only path the cave offered. If not for the dragon slayer's flames, they would have needed torches. The path led forward, and it was straight, but they walked so far into the cave that they couldn't even see the sun-filled entrance. They came to a dead end and as they were looking at each other, trying to figure where they could have taken the wrong turn on a path with no turns, a deep, strong voice reverberated through the cave.

"Who goes there?"

Gray was the one to answer. "We came here because we saw your job flyer."

"You won't do," the voice said.

"Why not?" the ice-make wizard asked, thinking that it may have to do with a 'single person' thing on the flyer.

"Because I saw you, and you won't do," the voice answered

The raven-haired boy was about to complain, when a second, just as deep, but not as strong voice was heard talking to the first one. "We will test them. Can't you see one of them is part dragon?" The second voice sounded excited.

"I see it. But the second one is a human," the first voice answered.

The second voice spoke again, sounding like it said this a million times. "Dragons spent a lot of time with humans. First, they hunted them as prey, and then they lived with them. In all of that time, they never got to know the humans. In the end, the humans betrayed the dragons, and the dragons didn't even see it coming. We won't know the truth until they are tested. Who knows, maybe humans will surprise us once again."

"Very well. You may enter Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel, and Gray Fullbuster, son of Silver, and get tested if you so wish," the first voice said, as the stone in front of the boys disappeared.

Gray would have probably asked questions, demanded to know what the test was, why the flyer said a single person and both of them were allowed to enter, but none of that mattered at the moment. Any doubt he had disappeared as he saw the look on his friend's face. The way the voices talked made the ice-make wizard feel like they weren't talking about some creatures dead for a few hundred years, but about themselves. There were two dragons in this cave. The dragon slayer's face confirmed.

* * *

Natsu couldn't care less about some stupid test. There were dragons there. The majestic creatures, thought to have died out four hundred years ago were still alive, at least two of them were. He would go through any test, pass any obstacle, just to talk to them. He headed through the now clear path, the raven-haired boy following closely behind.

"Do you know about what kind of test they're talking about?" the ice-make wizard asked quietly.

"No, and I don't care. We'll pass whatever they come up with!" the fire mage said determinedly.

"It is not a test you can decide to pass. It is already written whether you pass it or not. We are nothing more than readers who'll inform you whether you passed. When you reach the fork in the path, you'll separate, each of you going down one route," the first voice explained.

"What do you mean it is already written? Are you saying it's fate or something?" Gray asked.

"Everything will be clear when you meet us face to face," the second voice said.

"You mean, we'll meet you no matter what?" the pink-haired boy asked excitedly.

"Yes, but whether you remember it or not will depend on whether you pass the test or not," the second voice answered.

No additional information on the job flyer made sense to Natsu now. Whatever the test, nobody before them had passed, and if it's decided before you even come here, there is no way to know what the test is. Besides that, these dragons must have the ability to control memories, just as Weisslogia and Skiadrum had, so the total lack of information made sense.

The boys came to the fork the dragons talked about, and the fire mage went down the left path, while the ice-make wizard took the right.

The dragon slayer walked for five minutes in the cave, until he came to a huge room. There, in front of him, a dragon waited. It was all white, except for the belly which was pink, the shade of Natsu's hair. It had more than enough room to move comfortably, and there was a giant passage that led deeper into the cave.

"Welcome, Natsu Dragneel, son of The Fire Dragon King Igneel! My name is Nydrai," the dragon in front of him spoke, and Natsu could tell that it was the voice that spoke the second. "Allow me to be the first one to congratulate you on finding your soulmate."

"M- m- mate!?" the fire mage half asked, half yelled, stammering.

The dragon studied him curiously, before speaking. "I guess Igneel didn't expect us to live. Or perhaps he didn't expect us to meet?" the dragon asked itself. "Please, let me explain?" Nydrai asked. Natsu couldn't speak, so he just nodded his head.

"Igneel probably expected you to live among humans for the rest of your life, so he didn't bother teaching you about dragons," the dragon said, shaking its head. "I'll explain what we used to do." Natsu nodded his head, indicating for it to continue. "I'll correct you right away. A soulmate has nothing to do with a mate. Although sometimes a dragon's soulmate is also its mate, the dragon's mate does not have to be its soulmate. A soulmate is not a connection you can form, unlike a mate. The lives of soulmates are connected with lines, seen only by some dragons, created at birth. That connection is unbreakable, and no matter where one goes, if the connection is strong enough, they'll never be too far from their soulmate."

"You're saying Gray is my soulmate?" Salamander asked, not sure what to think of all of this.

"And you are his," the dragon answered simply, probably sensing that Natsu had more to say.

"And you said that the connection is made at birth," the dragon nodded. "Then how could I have connected with him, who was born more than four hundred years after me?"

"Because it's not your bodies that are connected, it's your souls. To be honest, we never saw two humans of the same sex be soulmates, and since the dragons don't have sexes, you two are the first persons of the same sex we saw be soulmates. That's why my mate didn't even want to test you. But we're glad we have, because the connection between you two is stronger than any we've seen. Maybe it's strengthened because of something recent so you didn't notice, but I'd be surprised if you could put more than a few kilometers between you."

"What does that mean?" the fire mage asked, not getting what this whole soulmate thing was.

"It mean's whatever you want it to mean. Between dragons, soulmates could be a parent and a child, siblings, close friends, or even mates. If you're concerned that it makes you mates, you can relax."

"No, that's not it," the dragon slayer said quietly.

"Then what is the problem?" the dragon said, looking concerned.

"When you said we're soulmates…" the pink-haired boy trailed of looking down, but the dragon understood what he wanted to say.

"Oh. You weren't concerned it makes you mates. You were hoping for it." Natsu continued staring down. "Are you ashamed of your feelings for him?" the dragon asked.

"No, that's not it, either," the fire mage said. Finally, he looked at the dragon. "It's just. What if he doesn't feel the same? What if when I tell him, I lose the friendship we have now?"

"While the bond of the soulmates is created during birth, it's strength depends on how much you work on it. You both worked on it, even if you weren't aware of it, and to strengthen it to the point your bond is at, you worked hard. So, I know that even if he doesn't feel the same, he won't let your friendship end. And maybe he feels the same. To want to be with each other more than anything, but afraid of losing what you already have, I can see how that would strengthen the bond to the point it's on now."

"Was that the test you wanted to do. See if we're soulmates?" the pink-haired boy asked, and then continued after the dragon nodded. "Then why did you request a 'single person' on the job flyer?"

"Because the soulmates are considered a single person. I'm sure you felt like the job was meant for you and Gray, even if it said a single person. It's just how a dragon's brain processes it. And while you're not a real dragon, you're enough of a dragon to have understood the meaning behind it, even if it was only subconsciously."

Even if this dragon looked completely different from Igneel, just talking with a dragon made Natsu feel closer to his foster father, so he continued asking questions. "Did you create that job, and just waited for a dragon slayer to take it? Why would you even get us here?"

"It wasn't for the dragon slayers. After the dragons died, we stayed here. Nobody kept coming here anymore, so we grew bored. We decided to see if humans have soulmates, so we gave jobs to a few guilds. A few soulmates that came here, in the end decided to have their memories altered. They thought that a dragon concept of soulmates wouldn't work in the human world, so they didn't want any memories."

Just then Natsu realized that there was another dragon talking to Gray. "Is the other dragon telling all this to Gray?"

* * *

Gray took the path to the right. He walked for some time, thinking what the test could be about, until he reached a huge chamber, with a light blue dragon standing in the middle of it, the only other way out of the room, a huge tunnel behind it. The ice-make wizard didn't know what to say, if he was supposed to say anything at all, so he just stood there, looking at the dragon, waiting for it to speak, while it just stared back.

After five minutes, the raven-haired boy couldn't take it anymore, so he asked, "What is this test you were talking about?"

"Oooh, the ice-cream boy speaks," the dragon said mockingly, the ice-wizard recognizing its voice as the first one that spoke.

"Oh, great beast," Gray started in an equally mocking tone, "please forgive me for not getting on my knees." His voice turned angry then. "You're the one that invited us here, so you should be the one to speak."

A rumbling came from the dragon, what the ice-make wizard took for laughter. "At least you have some fire in you! You'll need it." the dragon said.

"Why are we here?" the raven-haired boy asked, unable to figure out what was going on. _What was that comment about needing fire?_ Gray thought

"What we are doing here is something we've done for dragons for a long time. Since there are no more dragons, we decided to invite humans here, but as a dragon, or at least part dragon, we decided to do him a favor. My mate is explaining everything to your… friend," the dragon said, speaking the word 'friend' after some time, and Gray got the feeling that it wanted to say something else. "He can decide whether to tell you or not. Now, onto the other topics!" the dragon declared, before popping a totally unexpected question. "Do you love him?"

The question was so sudden and so unexpected, it took the ice-make wizard some time to even start processing what had been said. He knew the dragon already knew the answer, since they knew their names, and their parents' names. But he couldn't figure out why the question was asked. Was he mocking him, like the 'ice-cream boy' comment? Was he trying to unnerve him, and he knew this would do the trick? Or was he maybe just trying to make conversation, and that thought had been the strongest in his mind? He answered quietly but firmly, looking at the floor. "Yes."

"Look at me when you speak," the dragon said loudly. When Gray turned his head to face the dragon, he was surprised. If he had to guess the expression on its face, it was compassion. "Are you sure that'll be enough? The Fire Dragon King son's fire burns hot enough to melt an iceberg like you. He could easily destroy who you are, without even meaning to." This wasn't a conversation to pass time, the dragon wasn't mocking him. If anything, it felt like he wanted to help him.

"I don't care," the ice-make wizard said fiercely. He continued more lovingly. "How could I, when I already don't know who I am without him?" It was the truth. He couldn't remember who he was without these feelings.

The dragon grunted in agreement. "Then what will you do, if he doesn't feel the same way?" it asked. This time the raven-haired boy could hear the genuine concern in the dragon's voice.

"I'll stay by his side in any way that he'll allow me. As long as it's what he wants, I'll do anything."

"You'd even do things you wouldn't want to do?" the dragon asked, and the ice-make wizard nodded without hesitation. "Do you think he would want that? If he doesn't share your feelings, do you think he, as a friend, cares for you so little that he would want you to do things that you don't want to? Would you want him to do that if the roles were reversed?"

"No. I guess I never thought of it that way," the boy answered.

"You figured your friendship would end, whatever his answer may be," the dragon said, sounding like he was hinting something. After a few moments of silence, the dragon looking like it was waiting for something, it continued, sounding a little disappointed. "I can promise you one thing. The bond you two share will never be broken. I can't say how I know that, but come hell or high water, if nothing else, your friendship will survive."

Gray just stared at the dragon. How could it promise something like that? Every person was different, and you can never know how someone will react to something, especially considering it said that their friendship would survive everything. There was no way it could promise something like that. But, although the dragon sounded disappointed, the certainty in its voice was undeniable. It truly believed what it said. "So, you think I should tell him?" the ice-make wizard asked after a long silent moment.

"Does it matter what I think? Would your feelings or your decisions be any different?" the dragon asked, and after the raven-haired boy shook his head, it continued. "And that's how it should be. If you could be influenced by others, that means you're still not sure of your decision. As long as you know what you want, you should try to get it. Be it a trophy, jewels, an item, or a heart. You may not be able to obtain it, but at least you'll know where you stand. You'll know if you need to work harder, if you need to work faster, if you need to take a step back and see what's in front of you in a new perspective, or maybe you'll learn you need to give up on what you want, but at least that way you'll know what you need to do. Just looking at what you want, you'll end up losing it to someone else without ever knowing if you had a chance to get it," the dragon said. Gray was thinking about what was said. There was a minute of silence before the dragon spoke again. "Now let's go. My mate and your friend are finished," the dragon said, heading into a huge tunnel behind itself.

They walked through the tunnel, Gray practically had to run after the dragon. It didn't take long before they entered a room bigger than they were in before. It looked huge enough for the dragons to fly in. Already in the room were Natsu and another dragon, this one white with its belly the shade of pink he would recognize anywhere, the same shade of pink as on the head of the boy he loved. The two were talking, and the ice-make wizard saw the fire mage laugh.

The dragon slayer saw them approaching, and called out, a smile still on his face, and waving his hand above his head. "Gray!" the pink-haired boy then turned to the white dragon asking. "Is this your mate, Ulrug?" That's when the raven-haired boy figured that he didn't even know the name of the dragon he talked to.

"Yes. We've lived in this cave for most of our lives, and now we're probably ones of the last dragons alive," the white dragon said, sounding a little sad.

"Couldn't you just lay some eggs and have more dragons?" the fire mage asked curiously.

"We could, but the dragons promised to watch over humans. You've seen what seven dragons can do, after the Grand Magic Games. It was decided a long time ago to let only two dragons hatch every hundred years, and the parent and its mate are supposed to watch over the newly hatched dragon. If the dragons turn on humans again or humans found out we existed, it would probably end in both species dying out. So we live in hiding. Maybe one day, we'll be able to coexist, but that time is not now."

Gray saw the dragon slayer about to say something, but the dragon next to the ice-make wizard, Ulrug, spoke before he could. "You have to leave now."

Natsu was shocked. "Why!?"

It was the white dragon that answered. "We can't go hunt whenever we want, and what we do manage to hunt would never sustain even a single dragon. So, most of the time, we're in hibernation to conserve out energy."

"Maybe we could bring you some food?" the pink-haired boy offered.

"That would be nice. Whenever you want to come talk, you can bring some food. But don't do it too often. We don't want anyone to learn that dragons live here. It could be disastrous. So, until the time we meet again, take care of yourself, son of The Fire Dragon King, Natsu Dragneel. You too, Gray Fullbuster. And remember what we told you here."

"You take care of yourself, Nydrai and Ulrug. Whatever the dragons did in the past, they've changed too much to die out. You have to survive till the day you can come out of hiding!" the fire mage said, his eyes watery.

"Thank you," the white dragon said. "Now go and live your life. There is still so much for you to learn out there. When you come back, I hope you bring some good stories with you." Natsu put a grin on his face in answer.

Gray felt like an intruder in this situation. Even if the dragon slayer was human, the dragons were a part of his life, and he just learned that there are still more dragons alive. It was like he found out that there were also happy memories in his past, not just the heavy thoughts that clouded his mind these days.

Natsu turned toward the ice-make wizard, and as he was reaching him, the light blue dragon spoke. "Don't wait too long, ice-cream boy." Gray knew what the dragon meant.

The fire mage laughed loudly. "Ice-cream boy? How didn't I come up with that? But, maybe ice-cream princess would be better," the dragon slayer said, laughing, and the dragons chuckled lightly.

The light blue dragon walked toward its mate, and the pink-haired boy lead Gray out of the cave, towards a different tunnel then they came through. They were about to enter the tunnel when the dragons spoke in unison. "Good luck!"

* * *

The boys just entered the tunnel and the two dragons were left alone.

"Do you understand now that we never knew humans?" the white dragon asked.

The light blue dragon grunted. "We've never seen two souls connected so strongly, and yet, their minds don't even know how much they need each other."

"The humans are young. How long did it take the dragons to come this far? And even with us coming this far, we still make mistakes. Maybe it's unavoidable, but we can look after them, and make sure they don't make the same mistakes we did. At the very least, we learned that love doesn't care what sex a person is, and hopefully, we helped the boys," the pink-bellied dragon said.

"Do you think that they'd be kept apart for long, even without us?"

"No, nothing could keep the souls so strongly connected away from each other for long. I think that not even death could keep them apart. Time certainly couldn't."

"It will be good to see them return as mates," Ulrug said, curling on the floor, readying itself for hibernation.

"I hope they don't wait much longer," Nydrai said, snuggling close to Ulrug. "They'll be sorry they waited this long, once the truth comes out."

The dragons went into hibernation with happy thoughts in their minds. Those boys really were special.


	11. The Walk Back

**Chapter 11: The Walk Back**

Natsu was still thinking about what Nydrai said. Will their friendship really continue after he tells Gray how he feels? Could he still be friends with someone if that person (Lucy, for example) said she was in love with him? His first thought was that yes, they could still be friends, but when he thought about it some more, he wasn't so sure. He would always think whether a touch, a look, a smile had some other meaning for her. Was Lucy smiling because his joke was funny, or because she liked him? Was she standing there by accident, or did she position herself there purposefully so that he would bump into her? Was her rent really due, or did she want to spend some time alone with him on a job? Was she just thinking and looking at him, or was she staring at him longingly?

Did she really lose her clothes accidentally around him, or was it on purpose? Natsu shook his head. Thinking like that, it made him convinced that Lucy was in love with him. As he shook his head, a right connection was made somewhere, and he felt like a blind man that got his sight. He was too focused on how the ice-make wizard would react to everything he said, to the fact that the demon power was still in him, that Zeref was his brother, that he was responsible for the death of every person Zeref or his demons killed that he didn't even look for anything other than hatred and fear on the raven-haired boy's face.

He never thought that a person could be this oblivious. Just this morning he woke up before Gray and watched him sleep, but how many times did he wake up and felt Gray's eyes on him? He wanted to feel Gray's arms around him, but why did Gray, who rarely even touched him before, held him while he slept yesterday. Then there was the party. The ice-make wizard left with Juvia, and Natsu just thought that they were out there, doing something. But if he rejected her, why didn't he come back? The fire mage knew why, now. He thought he felt Gray's eyes on him for a moment, just when Lucy was, not so subtly, trying to get their secret. The flirtatious way Lucy was acting, and the innocence he was displaying could easily have been mistaken for something romantic between them. Then there was that blush he thought he saw on the raven-haired boy when he asked him if he could lie on his lap, and the way Gray was hiding his face this morning when he asked Natsu if he loved him. There was the morning after Natsu blacked out, finding Gray sleeping unusually close to him.

But beyond everything else, there were two things that convinced him more than anything else, that Gray reciprocated his feelings. First, there was the dragon. The way Nydrai acted like it didn't know what he was feeling, when it was clear they had access to all of their memories. It was like the dragon was guiding him to reveal his feelings to the boy he loved, hinting, along the way, that everything will be fine. Secondly, there was the thought that finally connected it all. He thought that maybe Lucy lost her clothes around him on purpose. For the last few weeks, he's been around the ice-make wizard, and while the wizard regularly lost clothes around him (although it was still not as often as he lost them before), he couldn't remember seeing him lose his clothes when other people saw them. It may sound stupidly unbelievable to others, but that was a habit that even the raven-haired boy said he tried to get rid of. As much as Natsu tried, he couldn't come up with anything else that would make Gray strip only in front of him.

They were walking through the cave, toward the exit, and the dragon slayer was going through every day in the last three weeks, from the day the S-class wizard promotion trial started. Just as he finished going through every day, they reached the exit, where the pink-haired boy stopped. He couldn't move. His brain wouldn't send signals to his legs, too occupied with a single thought: How could two people be this oblivious?

Gray took a few more steps, before he noticed that his friend wasn't next to him anymore. The ice-make wizard turned around and looked at the fire mage. "Natsu, you okay?" he asked.

Natsu was about to open his mouth, and his heart, letting his feelings be known, even if his conclusion was wrong, but he didn't know what to say. He planned on telling the raven-haired boy how he felt, but he never thought what words he would use. What words existed that could convey everything the boy in front of him meant to him? He believed nobody ever felt so strongly about another person, so the words that could describe it weren't needed. But he needed them now!

If the words didn't exist, he would find another way to communicate what he wanted. He let his instincts take over. He could always count on them to do what he wanted. His body started to move. His legs took a step, two, three forward and he was standing in front of Gray no more than a few centimeters between them. His hands went up to the cheeks of the boy in front of him. His eyes closed, hands pulled the face they were holding into his face that was moving forward. Hot lips connected with cold ones, and Natsu hoped he could convey everything he felt this way.

The dragon slayer's kiss continued, the boy in front of him not reacting. He felt the ice-make wizard's huge eyes on him, surprised face beneath his hands. As he was about to separate, thinking he came to a wrong conclusion, Gray reciprocated the kiss. How could he stop the kiss now? There were about a million new things he had to share with the person in front of him, and now he knew that this person had some things to share too.

The kiss continued until they were both out of breath and had to break it off. Natsu put his hands around the boy's chest, getting everything the ice-make wizard said through the kiss loud and clear. Gray hugged him back, telling him that there was no need for words, his actions showing him everything. They would talk later, speak of everything they would want to speak of, but this moment, Natsu holding Gray in his arms, and Gray holding Natsu in his was perfect, and words could only ruin it.

Natsu didn't know how long they stayed like that. He didn't care. His mind was empty, his senses only detecting the ice-make wizard next to him. For all he knew, the world could have ended, and he would have died happy. His three weeks of misery, a month and a half of sadness, fear and self-hatred didn't mean anything right then. He wanted to remember that moment forever, writing every detail of it into his mind, until he felt like this hug lasted for a thousand years.

Finally, they separated. The dragon slayer didn't know what to say, and he saw that the raven-haired boy in front of him was in the same position.

"Do you see now, why I could never be terrified of you?" Gray asked quietly after a few minutes of silent staring.

The pink-haired boy couldn't process what was said, in the context of yesterday's conversation. "Will you go out with me?" he asked timidly, still not yet sure if he misunderstood something.

"Do you really need to ask after that?" the ice-make wizard asked, a huge smile appearing on his face.

"Well…" the fire mage said, a little fearful. Then his eyes set in determination, and his voice hardened. "I just don't want to wait another month for something to happen."

"Then yes," the raven-haired boy said. "Yes, I'll go out with you."

"Does that mean-" Natsu began saying before cold lips on his hot ones stopped him.

After their short kiss, Gray looked at him and asked, "Does that answer your question?" to which Salamander could only nod, a grin appearing on his face. "Now, come on! We have a guild to return to," the boy said, heading out of the cave and pulling the dragon slayer with him, the expression on his face showing happiness, contentment, excitement, and a hundred more emotions all mixed in one. "I wonder what people in the guild will think about us, together?" he said thoughtfully

The fire mage pulled free from the raven-haired boy's grip, stopping. As the ice-make wizard looked back questioningly, he said. "I don't think we should tell them."

"Are you-" Gray started to ask, but was interrupted.

"No, I'm not ashamed!" the pink-haired boy said loudly, knowing what the question was going to be. He continued in a voice a little quieter than normal. "They just learned everything about me, and we don't know how they'll react. If they didn't take it well, I don't want you to be caught in it."

"Hey!" the ice-make wizard said, griping Natsu's shoulders. "I already told you I'm not leaving you. I don't care what they do or think. As long as I'm with you, I don't care about anything else. But if you don't want to tell them, that's fine. We'll wait to see how they took the truth about you, and you can decide then."

"Thank you," the fire mage said.

"Can we go now?" the raven-haired boy asked. "It'll be a long walk back to the guild."

"A-a walk?" the dragon slayer asked surprised.

"You wanted to give everyone a few days. Since it's only been a day, and it should take us about two days to walk back, we don't have to take the train."

"Really? We don't have to take the train? You don't mind walking?" the pink-haired boy asked a little dubious. He knew that Gray preferred sleeping on a bed, and that he'd rather use a vehicle to get to where he wanted to, not wasting time if he didn't have to.

"Well, maybe I'd rather use the train," the raven-haired boy said, confirming the fire mage's thoughts. "But, this will give me two days alone with you, and I'd take that any day," the boy finished with a smile.

Natsu couldn't figure out why he was so afraid before. If he hadn't been, he could have had this a month and a half ago, and not a month and a half of misery.

"Come on, flame-brain!" Gray said offering his hand.

Natsu gladly took it, answering, "Lead the way, ice-princess." as they headed back home.

* * *

The boys headed home, hand in hand, Gray thinking about what just happened. How didn't he notice that Natsu had the same feelings for him, as he had for the pink-haired boy. The way Natsu ran into the bathroom the day before, when he learned that Gray was holding him as he slept, the way the usually strong Salamander cried in front of him, the way he revealed everything about himself, opening everything to the raven-haired boy. He knew Natsu was faking innocence on the party as he talked to Lucy, yet he just thought the fire mage was that oblivious when he accidentally asked him if he loved him. The ice-make wizard remembered Ulrug sounding like it was hinting something when it said "You figured your friendship would end, whatever his answer may be." The meaning of those words was exactly the same as what Natsu said the day before.

He couldn't help but feel stupid because of how oblivious he was. They spent two weeks together, alone, on their last job, and neither of them figured out how the other felt. "How did you know?" the raven-haired boy suddenly asked.

"Know what?" the dragon slayer asked, with his usual childlike innocence, which Gray now knew was fake.

The ice-make wizard rolled his eyes, as he answered the question. "How did you know I feel towards you what you feel towards me?" The pink-haired boy looked like he liked hearing that their feelings for each other were the same. Gray couldn't blame him. He needed to constantly remind himself that he didn't dream that, that it really happened. "I think you wouldn't just kiss me all of the sudden, if you didn't think that your feelings were reciprocated."

"Something just clicked," the fire mage said, looking into the distance thoughtfully. The raven-haired boy had to pull him out of his thoughts and out of the way of the tree as he almost collided with it, not looking where they were going. "Thanks. I thought about what Nydrai said, about how you would still be my friend, even if you didn't feel the same. It led me to question if I could be friends with Lucy if she said she was in love with me. I was thinking how I couldn't know if the things she would be doing were accidental or if she would do them on purpose. 'Did she smile because my joke was funny, or because of her feelings for me?', things like that. The last question like that that I had was: 'Did she really lose her clothes accidentally around me, or was it on purpose?', when I noticed that you no longer strip when anyone else is around. It was an eye-opening realization. I saw everything I noticed for the past month, since the trial, in a new light. It was enough to make me want to bash my head into the wall at how oblivious I was. I wanted to tell you everything in that moment, but I just couldn't find words that would tell you everything, so I just decided to show you."

The dragon slayer laughed lightly, before he continued. "You know, I thought I misunderstood something when I just felt your huge eyes on me, and a surprised face under my hands."

"What did you expect!?" the ice-make wizard exclaimed. "Nothing clicked in my mind. I still thought you would reject me, and that kiss just fried every part of my brain." They both laughed because of what Gray said, but more than that, they laughed because they couldn't contain the happiness they felt. It was just flowing out of them.

Time went on, as they walked in silence. They would say a few words here and there, but most of the hours that went by were spent in silence. Both of them had a lot to think about, and it wasn't until they stopped for lunch that the raven-haired boy was finally convinced that this wasn't a joke, a dream or a fantasy. This was really happening.

They were eating some of the food they brought with them, when the ice-make wizard noticed it. There was an inferno in the eyes of the son of The Fire Dragon King. He was overwhelmed once he realized just why that inferno raged. Gray hoped to be the one to turn that spark he notice two weeks ago into an inferno, but he didn't even imagine that it would turn out like this. It raged for him, just like the blizzard inside him was blowing for the only person he loved, the person sitting next to him.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked concerned. Only then did the ice-make wizard noticed tears flowing down his face.

"Nothing. I just can't believe this is happening," he said, tears still flowing, but a huge smile on his face.

The fire mage used his hands to wipe the tears away. With his hands on the raven-haired boy's face, he spoke quietly, words only meant for the boy in front of him. "I know what you mean. We were both too afraid of losing what we already had to take a chance at having something more. Maybe we'll forever regret the time we could have spent together, but at least we'll spend the future together," the dragon slayer finished, pulling Gray into a hug.

The ice-make wizard wrapped his arms around the hot body of his guildmate, his rival, his teammate, his friend. His boyfriend. "I'm not leaving you flame-breath," he said, his face buried in the hot chest.

"And, I'm not leaving you ice-cream boy," the pink-haired boy said into his ear. "We're never leaving each other."

"You're right," Gray said, pulling apart so he could look the boy in his beautiful onyx eyes. "No matter what comes our way, we'll face it together. We've spent more than enough time figuring what we felt for each other, and this is it," he said, as he pulled the fire mage into their third kiss.

None of their kisses were lustful. They were just trying to get how deep their feelings for each other were across to the other person. Besides that, the fact that neither boy would admit out loud was that neither of them had ever before been in a relationship, not a romantic one, so they would need to go slow, discover everything as time went by, even if it meant things would get awkward sometimes, or one of them would act inappropriately in a situation.

* * *

Natsu and Gray continued home. It was the first time, in a long while, that neither of them felt like he had to watch how he behaved, and what he said. They walked side by side, most of the time hand in hand. When they stopped to eat, they sat close to each other, feeling each other's touch. Before they went to sleep, they sat with one of them wrapping his arms around the other. They slept close enough to each other to feel each other's breath.

They talked about everything. Natsu told the Gray what the dragons were really testing people for, to which the ice-make wizard just stared. He explained the situation with Lucy at the party, to which the boy laughed, and Gray told the fire mage what exactly he told Juvia to make her so mad.

The two day walk back was nowhere near enough time to say all the things they wanted to say to each other, but it was enough for them to get across to each other that the depth of their feelings was the same. They may have believed that no other person felt this deeply for another, but they knew that at least the boy they had these deep feelings for felt the same. It made both of them feel happier, more excited, more content, more alive than they ever felt as they entered Magnolia.


	12. The Return

**Chapter 12: The Return**

It was late afternoon as Gray and Natsu entered Magnolia. This was the time of day when the guild was usually the fullest. Members went there for dinner, or just to spend their evening with family.

"Do we really need to go to the guild now?" the dragon slayer asked.

"Yes, or did you forget why we needed to come back today?" the ice-make wizard answered.

"But, everyone's gonna be there," Natsu complained.

Gray knew why his… boyfriend (he still couldn't get used to thinking of the pink-haired boy as his boyfriend) was reluctant to go to the guild. "It doesn't matter how they look at you. I'll be there next to you the whole time, and after we do what we need to do, we can leave as soon as you want."

"Just… don't let them find out. Especially if they'll all act differently than they usually do."

"I already told you that we won't say anything until you're ready. Besides, they were just as oblivious of our feeling as we were. Maybe Fairy Tail's to blame?" the raven-haired boy asked, causing them to laugh.

They were a few meters away from the guild's fence, when they heard someone shout.

"Natsu!" The boys turned to see a blue Exceed flying towards them. He flew straight into the fire mages chest for a hug. Gray saw that the pink-haired boy's happy face (as it was constantly for two days), relaxing a little. The person that could be considered the dragon slayer's child wasn't affected by the truth in the least bit. It warmed the ice-make wizard's heart to see that his's boyfriend's blue friend was the same as always, and he saw that it gave hope to the pink-haired boy that others will accept him as well.

"Hey, buddy! We're-" Salamander began saying, but was interrupted.

"Natsu, Gray! You're back!" Lucy came a few seconds after the Exceed. "We were just coming to check if you came back," she said, indicating herself and the cat.

"Hey Lucy!" the boys said at the same time, then Gray continued. "We were just going to give the report on the mission," the raven-haired boy said as they started for the doors. It was a really good sign to see that she, too, was acting normally, not even a shadow of fear of the dragon slayer in her eyes.

"Sure," she said. "But I think you should-" she was cut off as the pink-haired boy kicked the guild doors in. Lucy didn't need to finish what she was saying. The ice-make wizard knew she wanted to say, "you shouldn't go in there," and with the sight he saw, he had to agree with her.

It seemed that it really was too much to hope that people would act like they used to. They were lucky to meet Happy and Lucy, probably the only persons in the guild who would act normally. The huge grin that was on his boyfriend's face just a moment ago, was gone, and he was staring at the floor. Gray could feel the sadness seeping from the celestial wizard, and the blue Exceed. He put a hand on the pink-haired boy's shoulder, and guided him towards the Gramps' office, trying not to look at anyone, being afraid of how their looks would affect him.

Being called in after knocking, they entered the office. Gramps was his usual self, but as they entered the room, his smile fell after seeing the looks on their faces.

Probably not wanting to keep them there any longer than they would need to be, he turned his face formal and asked. "Is the job done?"

"No," Gray said. "Whoever is there, they said we didn't pass their test." It was the story Natsu said the dragons wanted them to tell. They still wanted to look for soulmates, the dragon slayer said, and since they weren't harming anyone, there was no reason not to tell this little lie. In any case, the dragons were right when they said that it would only cause problems if humans learned they still existed, and the fire mage really wanted to do all he could for them.

"I see," the small master said. "Do you have any additional information on the job?"

"No. We entered the cave, walked for a bit, came to a dead end, and we heard two voices that told us we won't do. They didn't explain, and when we asked questions, they didn't answer," the ice-make wizard answered.

Gramps nodded. "It can't be helped then. We'll just have to hope that someone will pass their test one day. Thank you for coming to tell me. Natsu," he suddenly said, making the pink-haired boy finally lift his head to look at the small man. "Some of them are trying. Give them a chance." The dragon slayer just nodded absentmindedly.

Gray saw that this was the end of the conversation, so, with his hand still on the fire mage's shoulder, he led them out of the room. The fire mage was looking at the floor again.

They just reached the bottom of the stairs, when someone called them. "Gray, Natsu!" a certain red-haired wizard called, signaling with her hand for them to come sit at the table. The ice-make wizard walked them over, and they sat down, one next to the other. At the table, besides them, there was Erza on the opposite side of them, Elfman next to her, and Lucy sat next to Gray.

The raven-haired boy now knew what Gramps meant when he said that some of them were trying. He could see the fear in Erza's eyes. Maybe she was afraid that a wrong thing would be said and Natsu would destroy the guildhall, or maybe she was terrified of the fire mage, but whatever her fear was, she still looked determined not to let that come in the way of the relationship she built with him. The man next to her was a complete opposite. Fear was not only seen in his eyes, but it showed on his whole face.

The ice-make wizard knew why these people were here, and he knew this wouldn't end well. This couldn't happen. Not now. Not with all these people looking like this. He turned around to lead his boyfriend out, and he saw it was already too late.

There, next to their table, four wizards were on their knees. _This will not end well,_ Gray thought, as one of the wizards spoke.

"We beg-" Laxus began saying, but stopped as Natsu got on his feet and ran out of the guild, looking down, making sure not to meet anyone's eyes.

"I'll go after him," the raven-haired boy said to his teammates: Erza, Lucy, and Happy who flew to the table when he saw the fire mage running out.

The ice-make wizard was at the doors, when he heard something that made him stop in his tracks. "And he said he wouldn't change," the lightning mage said, snorting.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Gray turned so suddenly and yelled so loudly, that he saw almost every person in the guild jerk in surprise. He continued in just as loud a voice. "He's been through more than any of you could imagine, and you're acting like this because he 'changed'?!" The raven-haired boy stopped for a second, letting what he said sink in, but he couldn't continue, because someone spoke before he could.

"We know what he's been through. Master-" the blond dragon slayer began.

"told you what Zeref showed him!" the ice-make wizard shouted to be heard, before he continued in a normal voice. "He told you some of what happened, some of the event of Natsu's life. He couldn't tell you how Natsu felt in those situations. And he sure as hell couldn't tell you how Natsu feels right now. Especially after coming back home to his family, to find that only two people weren't terrified of him. And you have the gall to say he changed!?" Gray said, directing his eyes to Laxus.

He continued as the lightning mage looked away from his eyes. "Take a look around! Is there anyone here who hasn't received a hit from Natsu in a brawl or a challenge. He probably challenged everyone in here, and now you're too terrified to even speak to him, much less fight him. I just hope this doesn't happen to any of us, because I don't think anyone but Natsu is strong enough to get through this!" he said, and with nobody facing him, he turned around to go look for the fire mage.

The raven-haired boy knew his words wouldn't change anything. Even if the people in there didn't want to be terrified, like Erza, they couldn't just decide not to be. Only time could take that fear away. Happy, Lucy and he were obviously the people who knew the dragon slayer best, knew the kind of person he was. They saw what all his acting was hiding, they saw the core around which Natsu Dragneel was built. They knew that core would never change, knew that the things that made Natsu the person he is would never change.

Gray found the pink-haired boy behind the guild, in the forest, in the exact same place he would find him during the three weeks following the invasion. The look on his face was also the same as during those three weeks. The ice-make wizard just walked to and sat next to him, leaning against the same tree. They sat there in silence, the raven-haired boy waiting for Salamander to speak.

"Sorry I left like that," the fire mage said quietly, five minutes after Gray joined him.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. They should be the ones apologizing," the ice-make wizard said, taking his boyfriend's hand.

The dragon slayer smiled at the touch. "I don't want them to. Not with those expressions. They looked like they thought I would eat them if they look at me the wrong way," the pink-haired boy said sadly.

"Well, you do have a huge appetite, so I think you could do it," Gray said, chuckling slightly, trying to cheer Natsu up. It worked to some extent, as a small smile formed on the fire mage's face. "You just have to give them time to see that you're still the same old Natsu. Well," the ice-make wizard said, squeezing the dragon slayer's hand in his, "maybe not completely the same, but it's not a change for the worse."

Salamander leaned his head onto the raven-haired boy's shoulder, and they stayed like that, in silence, for some time. The silence was broken by the fire mage's complaining stomach.

"I guess the talk of eating made you hungry," the ice-make wizard said, laughing. "Come on, let's go find a place to eat," he said, standing up and offering a hand to the dragon slayer.

Natsu took the hand, the misery no longer on his face. "Does this count as a date?" the pink haired boy asked as he rose.

"I… I guess? I think it's up to us to decide how we look at things. So, what do you think?" Gray asked.

"I think that we should go on our first date," the fire mage said, grinning widely. Then he looked down and added quietly. "Even if nobody knows."

"Hey!" the raven-haired boy said, putting a hand under the other boy's chin, lifting his face so that their eyes meet. "We'll know, and that's what's important. Now, let's go. I don't want you to starve to death," he said, putting a smile back on his boyfriend's face.

They walked out of the forest behind the guild, walking close to each other, but not holding hands so as not to reveal that they were together. They went to one of the more expensive restaurants, one which because of its expensiveness other Fairy Tail members rarely went to. It wasn't one of those fancy restaurants, but the food was good, and nobody would see them there. Even if someone saw them, it would look like they didn't want to meet anyone from Fairy Tail because of the earlier incident, and not like it was a date.

They found a free table and ordered food. Natsu ordered his usually large amount, shocking the waitress and a few people at the neighboring tables, but once they showed they had money, the waitress just smiled and said that they would get their food soon.

"What do you think we should do now?" Gray asked, asking his boyfriend what he wanted to do regarding their guildmates.

"Well, I did promise Happy we'd take a job after we get back from the last one. Maybe take the whole team? You, Happy, and Lucy won't act terrified, we don't know how Wendy and Carla reacted to the news, and Erza may feel different when she sees I can not destroy everything in my way," the dragon slayer said with a small smile. "I think it'll be easier if I don't have to look at terrifying Erza being terrified. Besides, if we'll need to eat at these kinds of places to avoid everyone from Fairy Tail, we'll soon spend everything we got for that first ten-year job," he finished, the thought of spending all those jewels making them laugh.

"I can go to the guild, look for a job and ask everyone if they want to go, if you don't want to go there," the ice-make wizard said, looking at the pink-haired boy sitting across from him for an answer.

"No. I don't mind going there just… just not today. Maybe tomorrow morning? There shouldn't be that many people there then."

"Done! We'll find some job that'll take a little longer to complete. We'll make them see that there's nothing to fear. You'll see, you'll be terrified of Erza before long," the raven-haired boy said. They couldn't help but laugh at that.

As they were laughing, the waitress brought their food, and went back to get more. After she came back the fourth time (yeah, Natsu ordered that much food!), they thanked her, and began eating.

They talked about stuff they usually talk. About the past, about some tough fights they had, about dangerous jobs they took, and wizards they encountered.

They talked about things they started to talk about just recently. About different kinds of magic, and how they would imitate them using their own. Gray often offered things he found would go well with the dragon slayer's Fire Magic, just to be met with, "I already tried that," and no more explanation. He couldn't know which the fire mage found to work and which didn't, but he knew that the pink-haired boy would show him in fights everything he could do. The things he didn't try, the ice-make wizard knew his boyfriend would try with him around. That's what he promised during their first conversation regarding this topic. Sadly, there still wasn't anything he said that the fire mage hadn't tried.

They talked, once they made absolutely sure no one could hear them, about things they started talking about just a couple of days ago. About their feelings for each other, about how they felt in certain situations, about when they started to feel this way, about how they dealt with those feelings. Those conversations were usually short for fear of someone overhearing them. There was one of these conversations that revealed a lot of interesting (although slightly troubling, at times) information.

Natsu was just finishing his dinner when Gray asked, as nonchalantly as he could. "Did you ever feel like this towards someone else?" He knew the fire mage knew what he was talking about. If the ice-make wizard was honest with himself, the question wasn't pure curiosity. He believed he, Happy and Lucy weren't terrified of the fire dragon slayer because they knew him well enough, but he just couldn't shake the thought that maybe there was more to it than that. He knew he was in love with the pink-haired boy, he knew Happy loved him, so, could it be that Lucy was in love with him too? Could that be the reason why she wasn't afraid of him, because there is some other feeling that's stronger? The raven-haired boy wanted to know that even if she felt like that, Salamander didn't. He couldn't imagine losing his boyfriend to someone, not when he spent so much time thinking that he would be rejected, only to find out that he was wrong.

"Do you remember when you said that what happened to me when my parents died may have turned me into the person that doesn't give up?" the dragon slayer asked, ignoring the question that was asked. The ice-make wizard would have complained, pressed him for answer, but his boyfriend didn't either look or sound like he was ignoring the question.

"Sure I do. And I still feel the same," the raven-haired boy said truthfully.

"I know you do," Natsu said, looking happy to hear that. "But that moment messed me up more than it did good." There was a look the fire mage always got when he was talking about that past. He looked sad which meant that whatever he was about to say wasn't good, but there was a hint of happiness in his eyes that made the raven-haired boy realize there will be good memories there too.

"After Zeref brought me back," he continued quietly, looking around to make sure nobody heard him, "I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure it was a nightmare. So, I didn't eat, slept only when I blacked out from exhaustion, didn't want to learn how to read, write, or anything else. I thought that there was no meaning in it, that the nightmare would end one day, and I could see my parents again. The person before me wasn't my brother, but an apparition which started that nightmare, so how could I feel anything for it. More times than I can count, I tried to end the nightmare by dying, but Zeref must've known I would try that, and somehow prevented me from doing it. He may have brought me back, but I was as good as dead. I didn't feel anything, didn't interact with anyone, most of the days spent siting on a bed and blankly staring into the wall. He must have fed me some way when I was unconscious, because I don't think a person could survive that long without food."

The background noise in the restaurant was loud enough by now that they might as well have been talking privately. A small smile came to the dragon slayer's face as he continued. "Then, one day, Zeref said we're going to take a trip. He had to carry me since I wouldn't move. He took me to a clearing in a nearby forest. He put me down and stepped away from me. Whenever he could, he was far enough from me, so that if his curse activates, I wouldn't be caught in it. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. I was there, sitting on the grass, blank look on my face, when I heard a sound I never wanted to hear again. I looked up and saw a dragon flying towards us. I was about to scream and run away from it, when I realized that this was it. The dragon would kill me, just like my parents, and I could finally leave the nightmare. You can imagine my surprise when the dragon landed in front of me and talked."

The pink-haired boy laughed at the memory of meeting Igneel before continuing. "My wish to learn everything about dragons got the better of me, and I went with Igneel. If I had to live in the dream, at least I can make it pleasant, I decided. I stopped being no more than a live body and started living again. I learned everything that the dragon wanted me to learn, all the way to the day I woke up in a strange place, Igneel nowhere to be found."

Gray knew the best memories were over, the hint of happiness diminishing in his boyfriend's eyes. "As if everything that happened to me had been a dream, the memories began to fade. I somehow managed to hold onto the memories of Igneel, but that, along with the clothes I wore, was pretty much all I kept. I went to look for the dragon, thinking that if my last dream had it, my new dream had to have it too, but every person I asked told me that dragons don't exist. I was about to give up, maybe try dying to either wake up in real life or wake up in another dream that had a dragon that became my father in it, when Gramps found me."

Maybe those best memories were over, but that was definitely still a good one. "As soon as I saw you, I felt something for you. I didn't know what it was, but because of the memories I no longer had, my mind classified it as bad. I felt it so strongly, that I just couldn't stop myself from hitting you whenever I saw you. There was no explanation for it, but I trusted that whatever made me feel like that, it had to be for a good reason. Then I meet Lucy, and I felt towards her the same way I felt towards you."

It was exactly what the ice-make wizard wanted to know, and to learn it in a story that showed just how much his boyfriend suffered made it a thousand times worse. But despite that, the raven-haired boy knew he had to listen, had to know the whole story, see the full picture, before he could know the full answer to his question.

"It wasn't nearly as strong as towards you, and even thought my mind said that it was bad, I couldn't imagine how a cute and defenseless girl could be. I brought her to the guild because I wanted to figure it out, what it meant. No matter how I thought about it, it didn't make sense. The feelings were just bad, there was no explanation for it.

"We took that S-class job, and instead of one person I had those feelings for, both of them came along. Then you tried to use Iced Shell. I wanted to run as far away from those feelings as I could, but as bad as those feelings were, they wouldn't allow me to just stand by and watch you die. They made me want to protect you, no matter how much I wanted to run from them. It wasn't until the invasion, when I got all my memories back that I figured everything out. And then I find you in the guildhall, trying to do what I had to prevent you from doing two years ago, even if I didn't know why.

"Maybe it's because all our fights made those feelings even stronger, or maybe it never was the same, but what I feel for you is something I never felt for someone else, while the way I feel towards Lucy is more along what I felt for my older brother as a child. There isn't a simple answer to your question, but what I feel towards you isn't what I felt for anyone else, even if there are some for whom I felt similarly."

Gray was beyond happy to hear that, but he couldn't open his eyes which he closed somewhere in the story. He knew that if he opened them, tears would flow from them since even now he had a problem keeping them in. The ice-make wizard was glad to learn that his boyfriend considered Lucy as a sister, but more than that, he was overwhelmed to hear how much the pink-haired boy cared for him, even if this wasn't the first time he was hearing it.

"Sorry," the fire mage said, as a single tear escaped the raven-haired boy. "I hope that didn't ruin our date."

"No," Gray answered. "It's just… I'll never get tired of hearing that."

"What? That I have feelings for Lucy?" the dragon slayer asked, probably figuring out why the ice-make wizard asked the question in the first place. The raven-haired boy opened his eyes, and the look on his face must've been something else because Natsu burst out laughing.

"Very funny," Gray said, a smile on his face, seeing the fire mage being able to laugh after such a story.

After the pink-haired boy got his laughing under control he said, "Well, maybe next time you'll ask directly, and not try to act like Lucy, trying to get some secret." They both laughed at that, knowing what Natsu was referring to.

"I just don't want to lose you," the ice-make wizard said truthfully.

"You'll never lose me. I don't care what happens. Even if I die, I'll come back just to be with you, and I expect you to do the same!"

The seriousness in his voice said he expected an affirmative answer. "Sure," was all the raven-haired boy managed to say, before laughter made him unable to speak.

They paid for the dinner and went home. Natsu was walking with Gray to his apartment, since it was more on his way home, then it would be for the ice-make wizard to walk the fire mage home. They were about half way there, when they spotted the blue Exceed in front of them. The boys jumped apart, even though the distance between them was the distance that friends usually walk on. They just managed to recover from the sudden encounter, when Happy saw them.

"Natsu?" he asked as he walked to them. "I thought you went home."

"He didn't want people in the guild thinking that he would eat them, so I had to feed him," the raven-haired boy said, making the blue Exceed laugh, along with the boys. They started going through the streets, heading where the boys were going alone a moment ago.

"I'm happy you can laugh about it, Natsu," Happy said, then he added, chuckling. "But they really looked like they were afraid you would eat them."

"That they did, buddy, that they did," the dragon slayer said. "Anyway, I promised you we'd go on a job after Gray and I return. So, how about we go to the guild tomorrow and find something for the whole team?"

"Aye! Maybe threaten to eat them if they don't go?" the blue Exceed said giggling.

"Or I could eat someone first, and then ask them if they'll go?" the pink-haired boy asked, being his old self. "Maybe Laxus? Then he'll only be able to say things about me with me around." the fire mage finished, surprising both his boyfriend and his friend. Gray knew the dragon slayer had a good hearing, but he didn't think he heard that. Salamander then turned to the ice-make wizard and said with a serious face. "By the way, that's what I meant about you getting caught up in it."

"You can't expect me not to defend my friend!" the raven-haired boy said. He would have much rather said boyfriend, but he couldn't, not with the Exceed here.

"Of course I don't. I'd do the same for you. But it would be worse if they knew the truth."

"What truth?" Happy asked curiously.

The ice-make wizard thought that it must've slipped from the fire mage's mouth and he didn't know how they could get out of this. "That Gray's my boyfriend," the dragon slayer answered, looking at the Exceed.

The answer made both the raven-haired boy and the blue cat stop in their tracks. They looked at each other, disbelieve on both of their faces. Gray was searching for a reaction on Happy's face, while Happy probably waited for Gray to either laugh at the expression on the cat's face or insult Natsu for saying stupid things like that. Neither of them finding what they were looking for, they both turned towards the source of the looks on their faces.

The pink-haired boy looked at the ice-make wizard questioningly. "What? You didn't expect me to keep it a secret from him?" the fire mage asked, looking slightly surprised.

"You said we wouldn't tell the guild, so I just assumed that meant everyone," Gray managed to get out.

"I kept too many secrets from him already. I can't keep another one."

"Okay. I told you it's up to you. I just wasn't expecting it, so it surprised me, that's all."

They turned to the blue Exceed, his mouth dropped open, who was watching their exchange, clearly still processing the information. He looked from one boy to the other like he was waiting for someone to start laughing, saying it was all a joke. He closed his mouth, and then, as if trying to speak they kept opening and closing, but no words came out. It took him about ten seconds before he managed to push two words out. "A… boyfriend?" They were so quiet that the only reason the ice-make wizard could make them out was because of the lip movement and having an idea of what would be said.

"Yes," Natsu said, taking Gray's hand in his, intertwining their fingers together. "I asked Gray out, and he said yes," he additionally explained.

"Natsu l-l-loves Gray?" Happy asked, not in his usual way like he was mocking the dragon slayer, but in genuine disbelieve.

"Yes," the fire mage said again. "But please don't tell anyone else. I don't want them to know, not when they're that terrified of me. Will you keep it a secret, buddy?"

Tears started flowing down his blue face. "I'm sorry Natsu. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Exceed cried, before he flew off. All the boys could do was look at each other, surprised at the way Happy reacted, not knowing what he was apologizing for.


	13. Team Natsu Takes a Job

**Chapter 13: Team Natsu Takes a Job**

Happy knocked on the door, tears still on his face. A few moments later, a white-haired girl opened it.

"Happy?" she asked, looking surprised to see the blue Exceed in front of her house. Seeing the tears on his face, she asked fearfully. "Happy, what's wrong? What happened? Are you all right? Is Natsu all right?"

The blue cat could only nod. The girl, understanding that there was no imminent trouble, hugged the cat, and brought him in the house. "Come on. Shh, shh. Everything's going to be all right," she consoled him as he cried. She carried Happy into the living room, sat down on a couch, and held onto him tightly, letting him cry it out.

It was half an hour later, the cat still crying, that someone opened the front door and entered the house.

"Lisanna, I'm home," a man's voice was heard. "Big sis said she-" Elfman began saying, walking into the living room, stopping when he saw Happy crying in Lisanna's arms. He looked at the floor, and quietly said. "I'm sorry, Happy."

"What are you apologizing for?" Lisanna asked, hearing her brother's words.

"Natsu came to the guild and-" he explained but was cut off.

"Natsu's back?" Lisanna asked excitedly, before realizing what that meant. "Oh. Did he take it that badly, Happy? Want me to go home with you? We can talk to him together, make him feel better."

The blue Exceed shook his head, muttering, "He's fine," between sobs.

That answer only worried the girl more, so she asked her brother, who was still standing awkwardly next to the door. "What happened?"

"We were sitting at the table, when team B came to beg for forgiveness since they lost the fight. As Laxus began, Natsu ran out of the guild. Gray went after him, but before he could leave, Laxus said: "And he said he wouldn't change.". Gray turned and asked Laxus how dare he say that Natsu changed when we are all terrified of him. He said he hopes this doesn't happened to any of us because he doesn't think anyone but Natsu is strong enough to get through this, before going after him," he looked ashamed telling the story, and then he remembered something more, and added. "But that happened hours ago."

"Is that's why you're crying, Happy?" Lisanna asked compassionately.

The blue Exceed shook his head again.

The girl looked at her brother, signaling him to leave the room. "Okay, you can tell me when you want to," she said quietly to the crying cat.

It was another half an hour before Happy stopped crying. He still wasn't talking, but at least the tears stopped.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Lisanna asked gently. "Natsu didn't kick you out, did he?"

"Not yet," the cat answered, looking miserable. "But he will, once he finds out what I did."

"Whatever you did, I'm sure Natsu wouldn't kick you out. He may want you out of the house for a while because he's sad, he may want to spend some time alone, but he would never kick you out forever. He loves you."

"Maybe now, but not when he finds out what I did," the Exceed said miserably.

"There's nothing you could do, Happy, that would make Natsu stop loving you. A parent will always love his child, and people who lost their parents know better than anyone else how much a child needs their parents' love. If you did something really bad, he may be angry with you for a while, but I promise he'll never stop loving you. He knows how much you need him, and he needs you just as much."

"But this… After that…" Happy began talking brokenly, before he started crying again.

"Shh, it's okay Happy, shh. I know you were just trying to help. Natsu will know that too. It's all going to be all right, you'll see. Natsu will forgive you."

"But this…" the Exceed said with tears running down his face. "This will hurt more people than just Natsu."

"If it will hurt more people, that means it didn't happen yet. Can't you stop it?" the girl asked.

"Natsu said not to tell anyone, and I can't stop it without telling someone. Even if I tell it, one person will still get hurt," the cat said, looking into the girl's face. He could see the confusion on the face, but he couldn't tell more than this without saying that Natsu and Gray were together.

"Are you sure there isn't some other way to stop it? Maybe there's something you haven't thought of?"

"No! I was just trying to help, and now people will get hurt. I don't want to do anything else. I don't want to hurt anyone else. I should have just kept fishing. At least I'm good at that," Happy said angrily while crying.

"Is there maybe something I can do? Maybe there is something you can't, but I can? Maybe together we can stop everyone from getting hurt?" Lisanna asked, trying to keep the hope alive in the cat.

"Can you make someone stop loving someone?" the Exceed asked, and as the surprised girl shook her head, he continued sadly. "Then there is nothing we can do. People will get hurt. Natsu will get hurt, and some people he loves will get hurt. And then he'll hate me. All of them will hate me," Happy said starting to cry again. The girl could do nothing more than hold the cat, showing him that he wasn't alone, he'll never be alone, even if his prediction comes true.

* * *

Lucy woke up feeling amazing. The sun was shining, the day wasn't too hot or too cold, and the pleasant dream she just had was still fresh in her mind. The day started perfectly.

After lying in bed for a few moments, thinking about everything she would need to do this day, she got up, and went to take a shower. She brushed her teeth, put on some clothes (meaning she took half an hour to select what clothes she'll wear, and then taking that long to apply her makeup), took her Celestial Spirit Gate Keys and headed to the guild.

It was still early, about eight, the guild would still be almost empty, most of her guildmates still sleeping at home, so she was surprised when she saw a pink-haired boy turning around the corner.

"Natsu!" she yelled drawing the boy's attention. Could the day go any better than this? Then another boy came into view, being hidden behind the fire mage before. "Oh, Gray? Since when do you two go this early into the guild, and together at that?" They came towards her, continuing to walk together towards the guild. Lucy was glad to see that the dragon slayer had a smile on his face, not affected by yesterday's events as badly as she thought he would be.

"Yea, well," the pink-haired boy began, his face turning to stare at the ground. "I don't want everyone in the guildhall to be terrified of me, so I went and asked Gray to come with me." The celestial wizard heard the hurt in his voice. Maybe he was able to smile, but the way others looked at him still affected him.

"What about Happy?" she asked, noticing that the blue cat wasn't there. "He's not terrified of you, and he lives with you, so you could have gone with him."

Lucy saw she just made the situation worse. Sadness filled Salamander's face, sorrow greater than seeing his guildmates terrified of him. She saw that Gray knew what happened, the expression on his face clearly saying that it hurt him too. Whether it hurt him directly, or it hurt him seeing his friend hurt she couldn't know. "I don't know what's wrong with Happy," the fire mage said quietly. "I told him something yesterday and he just started crying, apologizing over and over, until he flew off. Lisanna called me a few hours later, told me that Happy's at her place. She said that he thinks he did something that will hurt me and others, but he wouldn't say what he did. He thinks I'll hate him for it, and I thought he knew that there's nothing he could do that would make me stop loving him. I told Lisanna to bring him to the guild in the morning so I could talk to him. I'll talk to him, and hopefully we can sort this out."

What could Happy have done that he would think Natsu would hate him? And what did Natsu say that would make Happy think that? Could he have said something ambiguously and the Exceed just misunderstood? But Happy, although acting childishly, would never react to a misunderstanding like that, especially if he knew there could be a different explanation.

"Anyway," the pink-haired boy said, clearly banishing the thoughts he couldn't do anything about at the moment. "I promised Happy we'd take a job together once Gray and I come back from our last one. We agreed on taking the whole team. Will you go?"

This was perfect. It's like this day couldn't get bad. She was just thinking she'd need to tell Natsu she needed rent money, so him inviting her on a job was perfect. "Yes. Of course I'll go. We haven't done a job as a team in a long time."

"Great!" the ice-make wizard finally spoke. "Then all we need to do is invite Erza, Wendy and Carla, and we can go. I'm sorry Natsu, but I don't think you'll get a chance to eat anyone," the raven-haired boy said, and they laughed at some internal joke. Lucy noticed that the boys were a lot closer than they were before. The name-calling, the brawls, the insults were gone. She really liked that they became friends. And she was glad that Master was right. What Natsu needed after the invasion was his best friend, the friend which was helping him get through the hardships, and although she would like to think she was that friend, the boys knew each other a lot longer than they knew her.

She was about to say something, when the fire mage spoke up. "Well, I can always eat Laxus so he won't be able to talk about me behind my back," he said, and the boys laughed.

 _Laxus? Did he hear what he said, or had Gray told him? No!_ She shook her head. There was something she had to say. "Wendy won't come," she blurted out, before either of them could speak and distract her again. The laughter died, and before the dragon slayer could get the wrong idea, she continued. "She and Carla went to Lamia Scale to visit Sherria. They probably won't be back for a week."

"Oh," Salamander said. "Then it'll only be the five of us," he said with a smile. "I really want Erza to stop being afraid of me, and if Happy thinks I would ever stop loving him, he clearly doesn't know me well enough!"

Lucy noted a proud smile on the ice-make wizard's face, clearly pleased with how his friend was reacting. It was weird to see the pink-haired boy act maturely as opposed to his usual childish self, but if he acted like he usually did, she guessed that they would have already heard that a town was burned to the ground. If even Natsu knew how dangerous the power he now had was, she wondered just how strong he was.

The celestial wizard was jerked out of her thoughts as they entered the guildhall. There were only a few people there, but any conversations that was going before they came stopped once the people saw that the fire dragon slayer entered. The fire mage, for his part, only put his characteristically wide grin, which put his sharp fangs on display, on his face. She would have burst out laughing, realizing their guildmates really looked like they were afraid the pink-haired boy would eat them and he was reading his teeth, if not for the complete silence in the guild.

Not caring for the looks he was getting, Natsu walked straight towards the job board, with Gray and Lucy close behind. _Is Gray walking a little closer to him than me?_ she thought to herself as they walked. To anyone in there, it looked like the fire mage didn't care what people around him thought of him, but Lucy saw that he was trying really hard not to let his grin fall away. As the boys were looking for a job for them to take, she looked around the hall, looking for Erza or/and Happy. Neither of them was there, but it wasn't surprising since it was early. The people still eyed the dragon slayer warily, but wisps of conversations started again.

It took them five minutes to find a perfect job in the forest of papers that was their job board. People all over Ishgar thought that Fairy Tail alone stopped the Alvarez Empire's invasion, killed Zeref and defeated Acnologia. The number of jobs they were getting was abnormal. And the jobs weren't just in Fiore. They were all over Ishgar. They heard from other guilds that, even though their job board was the fullest, they too got a lot of jobs. Maybe people just stopped trusting the Magic Council after so many failures, the last one being unable to stop the invasion, and decided to take the matters in their own hands, willing to trust the guilds, who even if they sometimes went a little overboard, always finished what they started.

They brought the job flyer to a scared looking Mirajane. Lucy couldn't really blame the woman for being terrified. She was an S-class wizard for a lot longer than either Natsu or Gray, so she must've considered herself to be at least their equal in a battle. Yet, her strongest Satan Soul was defeated in a single strike by the boys. It looked like the white-haired wizard wasn't even a challenge. As Lucy watched those huge arms closing on the woman during their battle, she couldn't help but think of that not as an attack, but as someone squashing an annoying bug under their feet. But, her face clearly said, just like Erza's that she tried not to let that influence her relationship with a member of her family.

Lucy suddenly remembered Natsu's words during their fight with Hades. "Fear isn't 'evil'," he had said. "It only allows us to learn our own weaknesses.". How could she have forgotten those words? They all saw how weak there were against the fire mage. There was no one strong enough here to beat him. All of them working together probably couldn't beat him. Why couldn't people here see that that didn't matter? For the first time, a person they couldn't beat wasn't their enemy. It was one of them, a family member, and having someone strong enough to make you want to become stronger, especially since that person doesn't want to kill you, is not something to fear. They would all get stronger, once they manage to get rid of the fear.

"We'll take this job," Gray said, handing the job flyer to the white-haired wizard behind the bar.

"Sure. I'll let the client now that you'll be coming," she said, not looking at Natsu. If Happy went to Lisanna, Mirajane must've seen, or at least heard from her sister how he was acting. She probably didn't want the dragon slayer to feel any worse than he already did, by showing that she was terrified.

"Hey Mira…" the pink-haired boy asked, making the white-haired wizard turn to face him, lest she offend him. "Do you know when Lisanna and Happy are coming?" he asked fearfully. The fire mage must've felt guilty for making the wizard in front of him scared.

Mirajane was trying to mask the fear she felt with a smile she usually wore. "Lisanna said they'll be here when Happy wakes up. I don't know when that will be, but Happy was crying really long. It was after midnight that he finally fell asleep. What happened?" she asked in genuine concern.

Lucy noted that Gray looked really worried again, and was that a hint of guilt on his face?

"I don't know! I told him something, and he just freaked out. He was apologizing, before he just flew away," Natsu said, tears probably forming in his eyes.

The white-haired wizard asked a question the celestial wizard wanted an answer to but didn't have the courage to ask. "What did you tell him?" The fear in Mirajane's eyes was gone, apparently, her need to help a family member far stronger than it.

Gray and Natsu shared a look, and a conversation must've happened between them, because the dragon slayer shook his head, before he turned to the woman behind the bar and answered. "I don't want to tell anyone else, not now. I could see how it could have made him sad, angry, happy. But I can't understand why he would apologize. He could have misunderstood what I said, and think that I may no longer love him, but Lisanna said he was afraid because of something he started, but couldn't stop, so he must not have misinterpreted it. I just want to know what he thinks could be so bad that it would make me hate him!" the pink-haired boy said frustrated.

"Who are you talking about?" Erza asked, coming close to them without anyone noticing.

"Hey, Erza!" Natsu said, turning around, a huge smile on his face. "Do you want to go on a job?" he asked, giving the red-haired woman the job flyer.

"So, you want to go monster hunting?" the requip mage asked after she looked at the flyer. "Master told me you faced tens of thousands of monsters on your ten-year job." Lucy was stunned. The fire mage wouldn't tell her how their job went, because he and Gray had some secret they had to tell everyone first. Of course, the celestial wizard immediately assumed they did something stupid, and that's why he didn't want to share what happened. She felt extremely bad she assumed that, after the battle. Now, she learned that they killed tens of thousands of monsters!? It wasn't surprising he didn't want to tell her anything. She would probably assume he was lying, trying to boast, but if she did believe him, she would soon figure out his secret.

"Will a few thousand even be a challenge?" Erza continued. "Won't this just be a waste of time for you?"

"Do you really think I can find something that would be a challenge for me?" the pink-haired boy asked, looking sadder then he was a moment ago. "To be honest, not even all of those monsters on the ten-year job were a challenge. I-" he wanted to continue, but the red-haired girl cut him off.

"But Master said you passed out! How was it not a challenge if you used so much magic you were unconscious later?" Lucy would have laughed at the expression on Erza's face, if not for the expression on Natsu's face. He looked ready to run away, just like he did yesterday.

"I used my Fire Dragon Slayer Magic," the fire mage said, and the requip wizard gasped. "So, Gramps told you." It wasn't a question. "They had a barrier around their guildhall, so I used Fire Dragon Slayer Magic to destroy it. I had to disperse every bit of the excess power, or the whole dark guild would be dead, their guildhall, or maybe half of that mountain, gone. That's what drained me the most. And I still had to use magic after that," the dragon slayer finished, putting a smile on his face again, before continuing. "Since there's no job that'll be a challenge, I don't care on what job we go, as long as we go as a team. I want you to see you don't have to be afraid of me, because it doesn't feel right to see someone I was afraid of, be terrified of me."

Behind the boys, Lucy saw Mirajane smile. The celestial wizard knew that small things like that will help their guildmates get rid of the fear they felt.

"Then, when do we leave?" Erza asked.

"I need to talk to Happy, when he gets here. I want him to come with us. So as soon as he gets here, and I talk to him, we can go," the pink-haired boy said.

"Then I'll go pack, and I'll wait for you on the train station," the requip wizard said, leaving.

"I'll go wait for Happy outside. I want to talk to him without all these people hearing what we talk about," the fire mage said, indicating their guildmates.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Gray asked. That surprised Lucy. She knew that the ice-make wizard already knew what was going on, either being there, or Natsu told him, but she never expected him to offer to go with his friend.

"No. He thinks I will no longer love him, so I think I have to talk to him alone, convince him that he's wrong. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do that with you there. He may not believe me," the dragon slayer said smiling (sympathetically?) at his friend. Then he looked at her. "Lucy, shouldn't you also get packed?" he asked. "The job will take us at least a week."

Only then did the celestial wizard notice that the boys had backpacks with them. "Oh right. Then I'll wait for you with Erza, at the train station." she said, heading home to pack.

Her day started perfectly. The sun was shining, she was invited to a job, everything was going well, but there were just too many situations that made her question what she was about to do. She couldn't pinpoint anything, but there was just a feeling that she should wait, that she shouldn't do that now. In the end, she decided that she couldn't miss that opportunity, and she had someone to help or stop her if there was a need.

* * *

Natsu waited for half an hour before Lisanna and Happy finally showed up. Happy was in Lisanna's arms, and his head looked down. When he greeted them, he saw tears forming in his friend's black eyes.

"Can I talk to you, buddy?" the fire mage asked gently. The cat just jumped out of Lisanna's arms and walked to the dragon slayer. "Come on, follow me," he said, silently thanking the white-haired girl.

They walked to the spot the pink-haired boy knew well. He sat down, leaned on a tree, and waited for the Exceed to join him, before he spoke.

"You know, this is the exact spot where I spent most of my days after the invasion," the dragon slayer said, remembering those days, and thinking of what to say next. "I sat here, leaned on this tree, and watched the water flow. Just yesterday I told Gray how I was living after Zeref brought me back. I didn't want to eat, didn't want to sleep. I didn't want to be back, not until I met Igneel. After I got my memories back, and we defeated the Alvarez Empire, I felt just like I did back then. My parents just died in front of me. But this time, it wasn't Zeref who was left alone and me dead, it was the other way around. This time, he left me behind." Natsu already heard his friend crying. He didn't tell Happy any of this before.

"I was miserable, but I felt like I deserved that. I did that to him on purpose. Maybe I wasn't trying to hurt him, but I decided to leave him all alone. Then, with all that, I sensed my demon power growing. I felt worse than when Zeref brought me back. You know, I tried to kill myself back then," he heard his friend gasp, but he continued his story, blankly looking forward, wanting the blue cat to know exactly how he had felt in the past, how he felt right then. "I probably would have succeeded, but Zeref put something in the book of E.N.D. that prevented me from doing it. I realized that after the invasion. I realized that that book was gone now, I no longer had to follow what it said, and I could probably kill myself now. I could've ended the suffering I felt.

"But even though that book was gone, I still couldn't do it. This time I wasn't prevented by a few words in some book. No. Even with my parents dead, Igneel dead, my brother dead, I found that all the love I felt for them was still there. Sure, there's no one I could love exactly as I loved them, but there were feelings strong enough to want me to live for them. I love Gramps like I loved my parents and Igneel, I love Lucy and other guild members like I loved my brother, I love Gray in a completely new way, something I never felt before.

"And I love you Happy. It's not something I felt before, but I'm sure it's what my parents felt for me. If they were here, now, if they learned that I'm a demon, if they learned I killed Zeref, I'm sure they'd be surprised, they'd be angry. Maybe they'd need some time to understand everything that happened, maybe they'd need some time to stop being angry with me, or maybe they never would, but I know that they would never hate me. I am their child, a part of them, and I know that they'd love me no matter what. I'm sure Igneel felt the same. And," Natsu said, finally looking at his blue friend, a friend he considered his child, "I know that I feel the same for you. There's nothing you could do that would make me hate you. Nothing. Not even if you try to intentionally hurt me. Not if you attack me, not if you ignore me, not if you hate me. Do you understand? Nothing!" the pink-haired boy finished.

The blue Exceed got up, went to the fire mage, and hugged him as hard as he could. The dragon slayer hugged him back. "I-" Happy tried to say while crying, but Natsu shushed him.

"Shh. It doesn't matter. We'll deal with it when we get to it," Salamander said.

"But if you tell everyone, you won't get hurt," the cat said, referring to his relationship with Gray.

"Will someone else get hurt without me knowing?" the pink-haired boy asked, guessing that his friend will answer positively, from what Lisanna told him.

The Exceed just nodded. "Then we'll deal with it when we get to it," the dragon slayer said. "I don't want one of my friends to suffer without me knowing, especially if I'm the reason that they're suffering. When whatever you started gets here, we'll deal with it together. You know we can't let one of our friends suffer alone."

Some time passed before Natsu was sure that his blue friend was calm enough. "Erza and Lucy are probably waiting at the train station already," the fire mage said.

"We're still going on a job?" Happy asked surprised, and a little fearful, but the dragon slayer ignored the fear.

"Of course! I said we'd go on a job after Gray and I got home, didn't I? Now, let's go. We'll get Gray at the guild and go meet the girls," the pink-haired boy said, rising, and carrying his friend, heading for the guildhall.

"Natsu loooves Gray!" Happy finally exclaimed mockingly after a minute of walking.

The fire mage was glad that his friend was back to his old self, but he had to shush him. "I don't want anyone to know, so keep it down. And don't tell anyone either."

"Aye, sir!" the cat replied with a happy expression emerging on his blue face. "When did that happen anyway? You weren't keeping it a secret from me for a long time, did you?" he asked.

"It happened on our last job, after we talked to the dragons," the dragon slayer answered.

"You meet dragons!?" the Exceed asked surprised. "There are still dragons alive?"

"Yea, but we have to keep that a secret too, otherwise people will want to kill them," Salamander explained.

"Are they nice dragons? Can I meet them?" Happy asked.

"Yea, they are. We'll go there together one day, okay? I really like them, because they remind me of Igneel," the boy said, with a smile on his face.

"Then I definitely want to meet them!"

"Meet who?" a voice came in front of them. Gray stepped from behind a tree he was leaning on, two backpacks at his feet.

"I was just telling him about a friend you made on our last job, ice-cream boy," the fire mage said, laughing at the nickname Ulrug gave his boyfriend.

"You'll never let that go, will you?" the ice-make wizard asked, rolling his eyes. "Come on. We've made the girls wait long enough. If Erza weren't terrified of you, she'd probably keep you awake for the whole train ride there. Who knows, maybe she's angry enough to do it anyway," he said as they put on their backpacks and headed for the train station.


	14. A Long Way There

**Chapter 14: A Long Way There**

Gray, Natsu and Happy arrived at the train station only to be pushed into a train by two girls. They barely managed to sit down, before the train started. It just so happened that Gray and Natsu sat next to each other, the girls and Happy across them, and as the dragon slayer's motion sickness took effect, he collapsed on the ice-make wizard's lap. The raven-haired boy was about to move his hand into his boyfriend's hair, trying to give him at least some kind of support, when he heard giggling from the seat across. Instead of threading his fingers through the soft, pink hair, he had to fight to keep the color of his cheeks from changing. Maybe Natsu put his head on the raven-haired boy's lap on purpose, but he could always say it was just his motion sickness. There was no way for Gray to explain threading his fingers through the boy's hair.

The girls looked at the giggling cat. They noticed what he was looking and looked over. Thankfully, the fight the ice-make wizard was having in his body, with the blood rushing to his cheeks, twisted his face into something that could be considered a displeased expression, so the girls didn't find anything odd. He could feel the fire mage on his lap laughing, disguising it as retching, probably knowing full well the battle his boyfriend was having. It made the raven-haired boy want to stand up and proclaim to everyone who could hear that the boy next to him was his boyfriend. They were hiding their relationship from everyone because the pink-haired boy didn't want to tell anyone yet. And he was teasing him like this in front of their teammates! Gray laughed.

"What?" the girls asked at the same time.

"Nothing," he said, still laughing at how his boyfriend was teasing him, and his boyfriend still used retching to hide his laughs. Happy must've seen through his friend's act and started to giggle with them.

"What's wrong with you two?" Erza asked. The girls didn't notice anything and they both looked confused by a sudden, and, at least to them, unwarranted laughter.

"Nothing," the ice-make wizard and the blue Exceed said together, the fire mage still hiding behind his sickness.

"Sure…" Lucy said. She turned to the blue Exceed next to her. "I'm glad you're better, Happy," she finished.

"Aye," the cat said half-heartedly, looking guilty? sad? but trying to hide it. Did the dragon slayer and the Exceed really work through everything? They looked like they did, they said that they did, but looking at Happy, he still looked like he was afraid of something.

Getting his laughter under control, Gray asked. "How long do we have to ride the train?"

"Did you even look where the job is?" the red-haired girl asked looking ready to scold him for his irresponsible behavior.

"Not, really," he answered. "Natsu was the one that chose the job."

"Well, we're going to Bosco, to some small village in a forest," she said.

"Bosco? That's the country whose guilds were wiped out during the invasion," the raven-haired boy remembered.

"Yes, and that's why they sent their job to us. It's not across the country from the border where we'll enter Bosco, but it's not close to the border either. The village has a problem with monsters in the forest around them. They've been attacking anyone who tries to enter the village, leaving people mostly uninjured, but stealing anything they could get their hands on. People are afraid of leaving the village. We must kill all the monsters before everyone in that village dies of hunger. Anyway, we'll have to walk from the closest town, and it should take us about eighteen hours to reach that town," Erza finished.

"You mean I'll have to suffer eighteen hours of this?" the pink-haired boy said weakly from Gray's lap.

The red-haired woman clearly misunderstood what he meant as she offered. "You can always sit next to me. I could even knock you out, if you don't want to suffer through your motion sickness."

"N-n-no, I'm fine," he answered, probably glad she offered to knock him out so it would seem as if he was refusing that offer, when the truth was that he wanted to be close to his boyfriend.

Luckily, the girls were as oblivious as, Gray was now almost certain, Fairy Tail made its members.

Soon enough, Natsu was asleep in the ice-make wizard's lap. When the girls noticed this, they shared a look before Erza spoke. "How is he taking all of this?" the red-haired mage asked Gray.

The raven-haired wizard sighed. He didn't really like to talk about his boyfriend, not like this, because it felt like he was talking behind his back, but their teammates were worried. "Better than anyone else would. I blamed myself for a long time because I couldn't save my parents. That was more than a decade ago, and I still feel guilty. To Natsu, it's like his parents died just a month and a half ago. Considering that isn't even scratching the surface of everything he has to deal with, I'm just glad he can still laugh," the ice-make wizard said truthfully. The story the boy sleeping on his lap told him yesterday came to his mind. He hoped the dragon slayer didn't think of this as a dream, or even worse, a nightmare, anymore. And more than that, he was glad his boyfriend still had a will to live, even after everything he had been through. If everyone just knew everything the fire mage has been through, they wouldn't make stupid comments like the one Laxus made yesterday. They would probably be surprised the boy hasn't changed.

"I see," Erza said thoughtfully. "Maybe he should have waited some more before he told everyone the truth," she continued after thinking for some time.

"He spent those three weeks after the invasion looking for a way he could use his magic without using the Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. During the trial job, he said he didn't want to return to the guild and lie to the people there. Maybe he should have waited, but I think that that would have done more harm in the end," the ice-make wizard said, looking at the people sitting across from him.

"How much Magic Power does he even have?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"I don't know if Gramps told you everything Natsu said to him, but there are some things he didn't tell him. He didn't want to scare everyone more than they'd already be. The truth is, he doesn't even know how much Magic Power he has. He said he uses what he feels he can use, but every day he wakes up, he feels he can use more and more." Seeing the look of horror on the girls' faces, he added. "I told you, told the whole guild. There's no one else strong enough to deal with what he's dealing with."

"And you said that blaming himself for the death of his parents is only scratching the surface of everything he has to deal with?" the celestial wizard asked in disbelieve.

As the raven-haired boy nodded his head, he saw that the blue Exceed knew at least something more, probably being told this morning. "But he'll be alright," Gray said confidently.

"Aye, sir! He has you," the blue cat said, the true meaning of that sentence shared only between them. "And he has all of us!" Happy finished so as not to draw attention to his previous remark.

"You're right," the celestial wizard said, smiling at the Exceed. "We'll help him." Happy didn't look at the blond girl, focusing intently on his friend's sleeping face. The girl followed his gaze, smiling at the boy's peaceful expression.

They didn't talk much for some time after that. The ice-make wizard felt like he already said as much as he could, and, not wanting to betray the trust Natsu placed in him, he refused to reveal anything else as they continued their journey. Soon the girls fell asleep and the only ones awake were Gray and Happy. One of his hands soon wandered into his boyfriend's soft hair, to the giggles of the cat. His other hand went to the dragon slayer's chest where he felt the rapid rise and fall of it, and a slight shaking. Natsu was having a nightmare, the ice-make wizard knew. He tried to hold him as tightly as he could, trying to show the fire mage that he wasn't alone.

It didn't go unnoticed by the cat, as he asked, "What wrong?" indicating the arms wrapped protectively around his friend.

"He's having a nightmare," the raven-haired boy answered quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping girls.

"He still has them?" the Exceed asked sadly.

"What do you mean still?" Gray asked worriedly.

Happy looked ready to cry as he talked. "After the invasion, Natsu woke up almost every night screaming. He tried to hide it, said he fell off the bed, stumbled and feel as he went to the bathroom, things like that, but I knew he was lying. After I went out of his room, and he thought I was sleeping, he would sneak out of the house. He would return in the morning, either saying he was on a walk, or with stuff claiming he only went to the store. It was clear that he didn't sleep from when he woke up from the nightmare. He slept no more than a few hours every night in those three weeks. I'm glad he knows now that those nightmares are nothing more than bad dreams," the cat finished, looking into the ice-make wizard's eyes, a small smile on his face, but tears still in his eyes.

The raven-haired boy couldn't believe what he just heard. He was a pretty light sleeper, so if the pink-haired boy woke up screaming any of the days they were together, he would have known about it. He remembered that first night. It's no wonder the fire mage was asleep so fast if he slept so little in three weeks. He was lying on a bed close to the dragon slayer's, when he heard him mumbling. The boy woke up and asked if he was talking, probably thinking he was screaming, like the cat said he used to do. After Gray answered he hadn't, the boy just turned to the other side, and went back to sleep. That happened a few more times during their job, but Natsu never woke up screaming. He was glad his boyfriend could at least get the sleep he needed.

"I'm glad too," the ice-make wizard said.

"What are you glad for?" a voice came from his lap, no sign of motion sickness.

"Oh? Was your motion sickness an act all along too?" the raven-haired boy asked mockingly.

"No," the fire mage said, no reaching coming from him. "But it seems your legs help much more than the princess' pills did," he said, his face turning green, Happy giggling at his friend's words. He waited for his stomach to calm a little, before he continued. "Maybe I shouldn't have remembered that."

"Sorry we woke you up," Gray said.

"No, it wasn't you. It was just a bad dream. And it's not like I was sleeping because I was tired. So, how long was I asleep anyway? Are we close?" the dragon slayer asked hopefully. Even if he wasn't as motion sick as he usually was, even if he didn't feel motion sick at all, Natsu was still a person that couldn't stay in one place for too long.

The ice-make wizard chuckled lightly before he answered. "You were asleep for only an hour or two. We still have a long way to go."

The pink-haired boy groaned at the information he just received. "Then please," Salamander said, "entertain me."

"Does my baby want me to tell him a story so he can go back to sleep?" the raven-haired boy asked. It was supposed to come out mockingly, but Gray thought it sounded rather romantic. Happy's giggles and his boyfriend smiling on his legs confirmed it. It was a good thing the girls were asleep, because the cat's giggles, the expression on the ice-make wizard's face and the fact that Natsu wasn't complaining would be more than enough to figure out what was going on.

"Although that sounds like fun, I don't think I could sleep right now," the fire mage answered, a smile still on his face. "Was Erza still terrified? I couldn't really watch her before, what with the motion sickness and all," he asked after a short pause.

"You mean, what with using motion sickness to hide your laughs, bastard," Gray answered, making them laugh. It was really nice to laugh about stupid stuff like that. "You know, I think Fairy Tail really does make people oblivious. Hey Happy, did you notice anything between Natsu and me, before he told you?"

"No," the cat answered, turning his happy expression a little sadder. "I haven't spent a lot of time with you lately, so that could be it since I did notice someone else acting like that towards someone."

This information got the boys interested. "Who?" they asked at the same time.

"I can't say," the Exceed said, but the ice-make wizard thought the cat turned his head to Lucy a little. Could he have notice Lucy's feelings for someone. Who was it? Was it someone in Fairy Tail? Someone in another guild? The raven-haired boy would have pressed for an answer, but with what happened to Happy yesterday, and the fact that he said he couldn't say, Gray decided not to press him.

"How long has it been?" the dragon slayer suddenly asked.

"It's been three minutes, Natsu. You're not going to ask every few minutes, will you?" the ice-make wizard asked his boyfriend.

"I don't know. Is there something that could take my mind off it?"

"You could go back to sleep," Gray said. Seeing that the idea wasn't really what the pink-haired boy wanted to hear, he reminded him of another choice. "Erza offered to knock you out. We could always wake her up. I'm sure her offer still stands."

"Maybe I'll go with the first choice. I don't know why I wanted to get rid of my motion sickness. There's nothing to do on a ride but sleep, and I can do that even when I'm sick." The fire mage closed his eyes, before he remembered something and asked. "What about that story?"

"Do you really want one of the girls to wake up to me telling you a story?" the ice-make wizard asked, not really knowing a story to tell.

"It doesn't have to be a story. Just talk. I like hearing your voice. I like knowing you're next to me," the pink-haired boy said, smiling, probably glad he could say a thing like that aloud, to the boy next to him. The raven-haired boy saw that the blue Exceed was trying really hard to contain his laughter to quiet giggles.

"Sure. Then how about hearing how I learned Ice-Make Magic?" Gray offered, and as his boyfriend nodded his head, he began. "The first thing I had to train was my body. We would…"

It was an hour before he finished his story, and by that time, he was the only one of their group awake. One hand in his boyfriend's hair, the other on his chest, he was glad the dragon slayer had a dreamless sleep. In the end, it didn't take long for even him to succumb to sleep.

* * *

Happy woke up. There was no way to know how much time has passed and looking around he saw that everyone was sleeping.

This was the first time the cat could really think about what was going on. And as he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. He always thought that a boy and a girl would be in love, maybe get married one day, have children… That's why he did what he did, after all.

Yet here were two boys, one of them his best friend, a closest thing he had to a father, and they claimed they were in love. Not only were they both boys, they were rivals, they used to insult each other, used to fight all the time, so how could this happen? Make no mistake, he knew, beyond any doubt, that they were in love, he just never heard people of the same sex be in this kind of a relationship.

What he found even more surprising, was how they acted. He couldn't be sure if one or both boys heard of two persons of the same sex be in a romantic relationship, but they didn't seem bothered by it in the least. They loved each other so much that they just didn't care what other people would think of it. Happy couldn't help but giggle at that thought. Gray was respecting Natsu's wish to keep it a secret, but they weren't keeping it a secret because they were ashamed. No, Natsu kept it a secret because he didn't want Gray to get caught up in his problems.

The blue Exceed looked at the boys he had been thinking about. Maybe he couldn't figure out how or why that works, maybe he never would, but as he looked at them, there was only one thought in his mind: They belong together. It wasn't because that's what the boys wanted, what his best friend wanted, that he thought that. It was because even while they slept Gray had his arms wrapped protectively around Natsu, a small smile on his face, and the usually strong Salamander looked like he wanted to be protected by this boy, even if he was strong enough to protect himself. They looked ready to share any burden the other had, yet they were willing to suffer alone just to protect the other.

He saw more love in how the boys slept than he ever saw anywhere else. It was enough to make him cry, cry from happiness, cry because he was glad his friend found someone like that, cry because he knew he would hurt them. But Natsu promised he would never stop loving him, and he knew that the love the boys felt for each other will never stop either.

Happy went back to sleep, knowing they will be all right. After seeing what he saw, there was only one person he was worried about.

* * *

Natsu woke up as someone shook him. He opened his eyes to see Gray above him. The fire mage felt like he could wake like that every morning. Then he noticed it wasn't morning. It was night, and they were on a train. The vehicle wasn't moving, and he felt three pairs of eyes on him. He immediately stood up and, afraid his face showed something it shouldn't, grabbed his backpack and ran out. The dragon slayer knew they arrived, because the girls and Happy were standing, Lucy having her backpack on. As he ran out, he could hear Happy giggling. He got out and collapsed on the floor feigning exhaustion but feeling rested and contented.

Half a minute passed before his teammates exited the train. The Exceed came to him, his blue face visible only to the pink-haired boy and asked, "Are you okay, Natsu?" It sounded like the cat was worried, but the mischievous smirk on his face said another story.

"Ground…" he groaned out, unable to hide anything from the girls, unlike his friend.

"We'll get a room in this town and head for the village in the morning. It'll be hard to see anything in the night anyway," the red-haired wizard said. "Come on, Natsu. I could put you on my luggage cart if you can't walk."

"Not another vehicle!" the fire mage said, getting on his feet and following his teammates. It felt nice to hear Erza say that. Even if there was still fear in her eyes, she was acting like nothing changed. And he got the feeling that she wasn't as terrified as she was when he saw her yesterday.

They reached the nearest hotel and entered.

"Good evening!" the man in the reception said. "Or is it morning?" he asked himself. "Good morning!" he then exclaimed. "No, that doesn't sound right," he muttered to himself again. "Ah, I know. Welcome! What can I do for you?" he finally asked.

"We'd like two rooms with two beds each, please," Erza said, ignoring the man's weird talk.

"Of course. Anything for our guests. Let's see here…" the man said as he checked for the available rooms. "Oh. I'm so sorry, but it seems we don't have any two bed rooms available. We only have single bed rooms. Would you be okay with that?" he asked, looking shocked that he was unable to get what a customer asked.

Before the requip mage answered, she glanced worriedly behind herself, looking at Natsu and Gray. Only the fire mage noticed, since the others were looking all around, and so he answered. "It's fine," he said in a voice that said he wasn't happy with it, but it was acceptable. The dragon slayer was glad he could act so well, otherwise the secret he and Gray shared would long ago be discovered. "It's just for a few hours. We'll manage somehow," he finished.

"Then we'll take two rooms," the red-haired girl said looking at the man.

"Excellent!" the receptionist exclaimed.

Soon, the rooms were payed for, and they were in them. At the questioning look Happy got from Natsu as he entered a room with them (the blue pervert usually preferred to be in a room with girls.), the cat answered that he needed to keep an eye on the boys, so they wouldn't do anything inappropriate. The pink-haired boy didn't want to explain that they spent two days alone, and nothing like that happened. Neither of them was probably even ready for something like that, and at that moment it was more than enough for them to just feel each other's presence. Maybe one day they would enjoy things like that (if they managed to figure out how something like that even worked with two guys), but that day was still a long way away.

"At least it's not one of the girls," the fire mage answered, before collapsing on a bed.

Gray soon came and lied down, facing his boyfriend. Natsu offered a hand, which the ice-make wizard took, intertwining their fingers. This much was enough for them for now, just knowing they had one another. Happy obviously took his duty seriously, seeing as he came and lied in between them, using his body to stop anything inappropriate.

"Good night, Happy," both boys said at the same time, looking at the cat between them, below their clasped hands, both of them thinking the same thing.

"Good night, Natsu."

"Good night, Gray."

They said at the same time, looking at each other, each wanting his boyfriend's name to be the last thing he said before sleeping.

The bed slightly shook as the Exceed giggled at how cute the boys were together. "Good night Gray and Natsu," he said quietly.


	15. Meeting the Client

**Chapter 15: Meeting the Client**

Natsu slowly opened his eyes in the darkness of the room. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to sleep. He spent the last eighteen hours in a state between being awake and being asleep and he didn't feel tired at all. Hearing the even breathing of the people on the bed, he opened his eyes so he could look at the people he loved more than any other.

The pink-haired boy wondered if he would ever figure out his feelings for Gray had he never gotten his memories back. Whatever the answer to that question was, he was glad he now knew what he felt, and to learn that this boy sleeping next to him felt the same filled him with so many emotions, some he felt before, some he could name, and others he didn't even believe had names.

Then there was the Exceed. Maybe he did always introduce him as his friend, his buddy, but what he said that morning was true. Deep down, the dragon slayer considered Happy his child. It didn't matter that he wasn't his real father, it didn't matter that they weren't even the same species. The only thing that did matter was that he loved Happy just as much as he knew Igneel had to have loved him.

Lying on the bed, looking at the faces of the people closest to him, he felt content with his life. He was glad for everything that happened in his life; every good thing, every bad thing, every decision he made, every decision others made, everything that led him to that moment. If he knew that he would feel like this, he could go through it all over again. He wouldn't want to, wouldn't like it, but if he had to, he would do it all over again, just to get there.

Hours went by, with the dragon slayer enjoying the presence of the persons on the bed with him. He was usually restless, something interesting always had to happen around him, but he felt like he could watch his sleeping boyfriend forever.

Sometime in the night, he decided to look into himself, trying to find every emotion he felt, wanting to see if, maybe, words existed that could, if not completely, at least partially convey everything. He was so immersed in what he was doing that he didn't even see when the sun came up. His search for some words wasn't successful, but he still knew a way to communicate what he wanted.

They would have to wake up soon, so Natsu carefully, slowly moved his head, watching not to wake his friend by shaking the bed too much, or his boyfriend by any sudden move of their still clasped hands, to his boyfriend and kissed him. It took some time, first because he was sleeping, then because he was confused and after that surprised, for Gray to reciprocate the kiss.

After Natsu saw that the ice-make wizard was indeed awake, he pulled back.

"Was that a good morning?" the raven-haired boy asked quietly after he saw the cat still sleeping.

"Among other things," Natsu answered, smiling widely, displaying his sharp fangs. Seeing the smile, Gray couldn't help but put one on his face to.

"Well, I wouldn't mind hearing the same thing every morning," the ice-make wizard said.

They spent the next few minutes just watching each other, alone in their own world where no one else could enter, before the pink-haired boy woke Happy up.

"I'm going to take a shower," the fire mage said, and he saw the Exceed glancing at Gray, probably waiting for the boy to say that they'd take one together. The dragon slayer saw that his friend was ready, waiting to say that that's exactly the kind of inappropriate behavior he was referring to when they came here.

"Then I'll go after you," the ice-make wizard said, and the look of disappointment was evident on Happy's face. At that moment, the Exceed was the only one thinking of the boys taking the shower together.

Natsu took new clothes from his backpack (which, just like all he owned, looked the same as the ones he was wearing), everything he'll need for the shower, and for cleaning his teeth, and went into the bathroom. He turned the water to scalding hot, stripped, and entered the shower. Even with the water falling, and the doors closed, he could hear the two talking in the room.

"Do you think you'll be able to keep it a secret for as long as Natsu wants?" the cat asked.

There was a silence, before Gray answered sounding concerned. "No. I think someone will notice something. Everyone's so concerned with Natsu now, everyone's looking at him, and a wrong person noticing a look, or a touch we share could expose us." Then his voice changed, saying confidently. "But we're not afraid of someone finding out. Sure, Natsu doesn't want anyone to know right now because of how everyone is treating him and he's probably afraid they would treat me like that, but I know that if someone notices, he'll be fine with it."

The ice-make wizard was right. The fire mage wouldn't care if someone did notice they were together, nevertheless he preferred his boyfriend not getting the looks he was getting. Maybe once everyone in the guild weren't afraid of him anymore, that's how they'd show they were together. They'd hold hands so someone would notice, shared a look that would show their feelings, or something like that. Natsu, and he knew Gray too, sure as hell wouldn't feel comfortable entering the guild and announcing they were together. No, that wasn't an option, especially since he didn't know if others would find it weird or not.

It felt like Happy was reading his thoughts, as he said, "I hope no one in the guild finds it weird."

"Find what weird? Me and Natsu together? Because we were always fighting?" the raven-haired boy asked surprised. He probably hadn't even thought about it after that day they were leaving the cave in which the dragons lived.

"Well, you're both… you know… boys," the Exceed said, sounding embarrassed.

"Do you think that's weird?" the ice-make wizard asked, and probably after the cat answered with the movement of his head, he continued. "Neither do I. Sure, I never heard of two boys, or two girls for that matter, being together, but does it matter if I'm with a boy or a girl? I know that what I'm feeling is love, and whether it's Natsu, or it's Lucy, or anyone else, I don't care. But the fact is, I'm feeling like this for Natsu, and I'm feeling like this because it's Natsu. As far as I care, everyone else can laugh at us, they can insult us, do whatever they want, as long as I love Natsu, and he loves me back, I won't care."

Hearing that brought a smile to the dragon slayer's face, as he brushed his teeth, paying special attention to his sharp fangs, which he considered one of Igneel's gifts.

"Then you will never care. Because I see how much you love each other, and I know you will never stop. I don't know why that is, but you love each other more than anyone else I saw. And even though it makes me sad to admit it, I don't think I can ever love Carla that much," the cat said. Maybe he was sad to admit that, but it wasn't heard in his voice. The only thing heard in it was happiness because he was talking about his best friend.

"Don't worry, buddy," the pink-haired boy said, leaving the bathroom, making the two heads turn toward him. "Maybe you don't love Carla that much right now, but Gray and I have known each other for a lot longer than you and Carla. We fought each other, we fought together, we insulted each other, and we just spent time together. I love Gray this much because we've been through all of that. You'll see, you'll love Carla just as much," he said confidently. Natsu saw on the ice-make wizard's face, as he was walking towards the bathroom, a smile. He knew his boyfriend liked to hear he loved him, just as much as the fire mage like to hear that from his boyfriend.

After the water started running in the bathroom, Happy asked. "Why don't you tell Erza and Lucy you're together? You know Lucy is not afraid of you, and you want Erza not to be afraid and I think this will help," the fire mage thought he heard nervousness in his friend's voice.

The dragon slayer sat down, got close to the cat's ear, and said quietly so that only they knew what was said. "You're the only person I intend to tell that directly. I've been trying to make Gray show what he feels. I lied on his lap, told him to tell a story, but he just hides it too well," the pink-haired boy said, sitting back, watching his friend giggle.

"That's evil," the Exceed said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"It wouldn't be any fun otherwise," Natsu said, mimicking the cat's expression.

After Gray was done in the bathroom, the fire mage sent him and the Exceed down to the hotel's restaurant to take a table, while he went to get the girls.

He knocked on the door, and soon a surprised looking Erza opened the door.

"Meet the new Natsu!" he exclaimed jokingly.

"Where are Gray and Happy?" she asked, ignoring the previous statement just like she usually would (not that he ever before came to their room to get them; That's why he exclaimed what he did).

"They went to get us a table at the restaurant," the dragon slayer replied.

"Oh. Come in then. Lucy will be out in a minute, and then we can join them," the red-haired girl said. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as he headed in.

"I haven't really slept," the pink-haired boy answered truthfully.

"Is something wrong? It wasn't because there was only one bed, was it?" she asked worriedly.

"No, it wasn't that," the boy assured her. "It's just that I slept for eighteen hours on the train, so I wasn't really tired," he explained.

"You didn't bother Gray, did you?" Her voice had a hidden hint of threat in it, just like Erza usually would, asking that question.

"No, he slept like a baby," the fire mage answered. "I don't think Happy would allow me to do anything," he added, the true meaning known only to him.

At that moment, Lucy came out of the bathroom. "Oh, Natsu, you're here?" she asked, trying to act surprised. She probably heard he was here when she was in the bathroom, and the dragon slayer saw no reason why she tried acting surprised.

"Gray and Happy are waiting for us at the restaurant. You ready?" the pink-haired boy asked.

"Yes," the celestial wizard answered, looking a little disappointed.

They slowly headed out of the room and down to meet the rest of their teammates.

* * *

Happy and Gray just sat down at a table with enough sits for their whole team.

The blue cat still had a mischievous smile from when his friend said: "It wouldn't be any fun otherwise." If he really wanted that kind of fun, Happy could help him get it.

"Hey Gray?" the Exceed called, making sure the mischievous look wasn't on his face.

"Yeah, what is it?" the ice-make wizard asked, looking at the blue face.

"I think Erza wouldn't be that scared of Natsu if she knew you were together," the cat answered, trying really hard not to let his true intent show.

"You think we should tell her? But I said I wouldn't make Natsu do that until he was ready," the raven-haired boy said, looking a little sad.

"You said he'd be fine if someone noticed it and I think you're right about that. Maybe you could try making him show how he feels on this job. Do something that will make his cheeks flush or put him in a situation where he'll do something that will reveal that you're together, like you almost put your hand in his hair on the train yesterday. Just make sure he doesn't notice you're doing it on purpose." Happy would have probably given him some ideas of what to do, but even saying this was almost too much. He could giggle for a whole day at the mischief he just made. It will be funny watching the boys on this job, and maybe one of them will succeed so the girls, for better or worse, would learn the truth.

Gray was thinking about it, but before he gave an answer, or their discussion could continue, they saw the dragon slayer and the girls enter the room. "I think you're right," was all the ice-make wizard said, not wanting the fire mage to know what they were talking about.

 _Yes, this will definitely be an interesting job,_ Happy thought. As long as what he fears will happen, doesn't happen.

* * *

Erza and Lucy were walking next to each other, with boys ahead of them. The forest was dense, but the path that lead through it was wide enough for her cart with luggage, and still leaving more space on either side. Happy was sitting on top of her luggage, and every now and then he would giggle. Anytime she heard him chuckle, he was looking at the boys, but after quite a few times she tried to see what the boys were doing to make the cat giggle and not seeing anything, she decided that the Exceed must be laughing at something he was remembering.

The red-haired girl didn't know if it was the trial job, or the fact that everyone was afraid of Natsu that made the two boys become closer, but she was glad they were. They may have been friends for a long time, but they always acted like rivals, so seeing them act like friends should, was really nice. But seeing them that close, seeing Gray, who had more reason than anyone in Fairy Tail to be afraid of demons, be so close to the fire mage, made her feel even worse for being afraid of him. She was trying, but the fear just wasn't going away. Happy giggled behind her again.

"What's so funny!?" the celestial wizard screamed. It seemed she also couldn't figure out what was happening. The ice-make wizard turned around, looking at the cat like he knew exactly what was going on, but Natsu just kept his head turned forward, hidden from her.

"You know, buddy, I think I'm finally having fun. Thanks," the dragon slayer said, causing a confused look on everyone's faces but his blue friends' to emerge.

"Aye, sir! Anytime. You know you're not the only one having fun, right?" the cat answered giggling.

"Yea, I hear you," the pink-haired boy said.

Gray seemed to finally get what was going on and said to his friend walking by him, before looking ahead, "Bastard." It made the boys laugh, and the girls were left more confused than they were before the conversation.

Lucy obviously wasn't fine with them being kept in the dark, so she asked, "Would you mind filling us in? We would like to laugh too," she said, sounding a little hurt at being left out.

Salamander finally looked back, directly at the blond girl, and said, with a grin, "But then it wouldn't be fun anymore!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy confirmed.

This time it was Gray who wouldn't look back.

* * *

Happy's giggles only continued, and much to the girls' annoyance, they seemed to get more frequent.

The boys looked ahead most of the time, and whenever he was giggling, only one of the boys would look back at any time. The girls hadn't notice that since the boys rarely looked back at all.

The Exceed was surprised at how fast his friend figured out what was going on, what he did, and he was glad Natsu was still having fun.

It wasn't odd the girls didn't notice anything yet. The fire mage was right. Gray was really good at hiding what he felt, but the dragon slayer was even better. Since they were in front, and the girls didn't see their faces, they had plenty of time to get the color of their cheeks under control. The only reason the cat knew when to laugh was due to his high position. He noticed what the boys did. Mostly it was words, to quiet for anyone but them to hear, sometimes their hands brushed, or sometimes even a look was enough. They were near the people who didn't know about them, people they 'didn't' want to tell that they were together, so anything that would reveal it was enough to make one, or both of them blush. _This really is and will be a fun job,_ Happy thought.

* * *

Lucy was getting annoyed with Happy. He didn't want to talk to her since they started this job, and not knowing what he was almost constantly giggling about was really making her resentful. To make the matters worse, the boys walked in front of them like nobody even existed besides them. She was watching them carefully since it was obvious the constant giggling had something to do with them, but with their faces as well as anything they did hidden, there was no way she could see what they were doing.

They were about half an hour away from the village when, during one of the Exceed's giggles, Natsu's head suddenly turned towards his left.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, still looking in front of them.

"Monsters," the fire mage simply answered. "They'll be here in a few minutes," he then added.

"How many?" the red-haired girl next to her asked.

The dragon slayer was quiet for some time, probably trying to figure an answer to that question. "No more than a dozen," he finally said. "But they sound big."

"How big?" Erza asked professionally. Maybe she was scared of Natsu, but some monsters wouldn't scare Titania.

"Probably as big as a dragon. But it's weird," the pink-haired boy looked thoughtful, and the ice-make wizard finally turned his head to face his friend. "There's no way something that big can move in a forest this dense without destroying trees in its path. Yet, I can only hear their footsteps."

They waited for the monsters in silence, and a few seconds before they came into view, the fire mage said, "Oh, I see." In only a few seconds the monsters came into view and his teammates also knew what he referred to.

The monsters were green and brown, blending somewhat into their surroundings, but the reason they were hard to see was because they weren't as big as they thought they would be, at least from their perspective. The monsters were pretty long, reminding them more of snakes then of dragons. The dragon slayer probably thought they were big based on the sound of their footsteps, and since they were as heavy as a dragon, Lucy could see how he made a mistake. They moved through the forest, moving their long bodies, avoiding trees.

Before the girls could even move, the monsters were already gone. It wasn't Natsu that killed them, it was the boys working together. Seeing them fighting now, it was like they were fighting separate battles before. They may have fought anticipating each other's moves before, but now it looked like they knew exactly how the other would move, where he'd be, what he'd use. It looked like their bodies were controlled by the same person and it was breathtaking.

"That was… amazing," the red-haired girl next to her said quietly. Happy, still sitting on Erza luggage only giggled.

"Well, Gray did say they spent a few days fighting monsters almost constantly during their first ten-year job," the celestial mage pointed out. Erza just quietly watched the boys returning. The boys were returning with huge grins on their faces.

"Did you enjoy the show? You could have joined," the fire mage said. "I know how much you like to be on the stage Erza." That made everyone but the requip wizard laugh. She obviously still didn't know that she didn't have a career in acting, so she looked at everyone confused.

"We should go," the red-haired girl said, clearly not knowing what else she could do. "The client is waiting for us."

* * *

Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Happy entered the mayor's house. If the fire mage was put into this village and someone said to him to get to the mayor's house, he wouldn't be able to find it. The mayor's house looked just like all the rest of them. Erza said he must be a humble man, not wanting to have what his villagers couldn't have, and a man like that sounded like a good person to Natsu.

"You can sit down here," the mayor told them, leading them into a living room. As they went to sit, the mayor continued. "I'm sorry, I would have offered you something to eat, but our food is scarce."

"Don't worry about it," Erza said. "We've eaten before we came here, and we came here so you wouldn't starve to death."

The mayor looked thankful for their understanding as he nodded. "You were attacked by those creatures as you came here?" the man asked, and after they nodded he continued. "They are all around, in the forest. We tried not using the path, going out some other way, but they are always there. It's like they're purposefully sieging the village, trying to starve us. We really need to get rid of them, but there is no way we can know how many of them there are. As far as we can tell, they have more than one lair somewhere in the forest. If you can get rid of them, I'll give you the jewels that were promised on the flyer, even if I have to sell my house."

The looks of horror and amazement were on every member of team Natsu's face. Sure, getting rid of the monsters would help him as well, but to be willing to sell everything he owned just to help his village really was amazing.

"I'm sorry, we can't allow you to do that," the red-haired girl said knowing that her teammates agreed with her. "Of course, we need to eat, we need the money, but we can't accept it if we know we put someone on the street just to get it. We'll get rid of the monsters, and you can give us what you can. It's fine if it's not as much as you promised."

Mayor looked ready to cry. "Thank you. Thank you," he kept saying, over and over again.

"Do you know where their lairs are, or how many of them there are?" the requip mage asked, once the man stopped thanking them.

"No," the mayor answered, looking ashamed. "We were afraid of going into the forest once we saw that they were everywhere. The reason we think that there are more than one lair is because of how many of those snake-like creatures there are."

"It's fine," Erza assured the man, before turning to her teammates. "We'll have to split up, but I think it would still be safer to stay in pairs. Lucy, Natsu and Happy, you'll go the way we came from, and from there you'll circle the village to the right. Gray and I will circle the village to the left. We should meet on the opposite end. If the monsters become too much for any of us, we'll return to the village and wait for each other. It should take us a few days to sweep this whole area, and to make sure that we get all the monsters. Is everyone fine with that?" the red-haired girl asked.

"Um, Erza," the fire mage spoke up. "I'd like to go with you. I mean, we took this job because I don't want you to be afraid of me, and if we split up like that, it'd be like we're not even on a job together."

Erza looked like she was thinking this through. "You're right," she finally said, then hesitantly continued. "I'm trying not to let the fear influence me, but I may have not paired us together because of it." Her voice grew strong as she said. "Then Natsu and I will circle the village to the left, and Gray and Lucy to the right. Happy you can go with who you want, and it would probably be a good idea if you can keep an eye on each team, just to be safe."

"Aye, sir!" the Exceed answered.

"Could you provide us a place to sleep while we're here?" the requip mage asked the mayor. "A single room will be fine, all we really need is a roof over our heads."

"Of course!" the man exclaimed. "It's the least we can do!"

"Thank you," Erza said, as she stood, her teammates following her lead. They were ready to start this job.


	16. Killing Monsters

**Chapter 16: Killing Monsters**

Natsu and Erza had been walking for some time through the forest. They still hadn't encountered even a single monster, and since the red-haired girl was quiet, so was the fire mage. The dragon slayer felt weird walking in silence with the requip mage. Even though they usually walked in silence when they were on a job, it felt different this time, so he was glad when the girl talked.

"You could have taken care of those monsters that attacked us by yourself, couldn't you?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"Without moving a finger," the pink-haired boy answered, feeling regretful.

"Then, why didn't you? I mean, I never saw you hold back in a fight."

"Do you really think I don't need to hold back?" the fire mage asked.

"That's not what I meant. I me-" she started saying but was interrupted.

"I know what you meant. You meant more than I need to," he said sounding powerless, and Erza just nodded. "With Fire Magic, and with what power I have now, I could do what I want without destroying anything else. I could have killed those monsters without you even knowing they were there. I know I have to watch how I use my magic now, but I still enjoy fighting. If I just use my magic and finish everything, that wouldn't be any fun. What fun I find in fighting now isn't from challenging others, seeing how my strength compares to theirs, it's from finding different uses for my magic, and using them in a fight, especially if I fight with people I love next to me," he finished, a smile creeping on his face. The red-haired girl must've thought that he was thinking of his friends, but the fights he enjoyed most were the ones where Gray was next to him.

"I see you're having fun even when you're not fighting. You mind telling me what that's about?" the requip mage asked, clearly still annoyed that she couldn't figure it out, but amused by the fact that there was something to discover.

The pink-haired boy laughed. "I honestly wouldn't mind telling you, but the fun of it is you discovering it on your own, and me trying to hide it."

She chuckled lightly. "Then what do Gray and Happy have to do with it?" she asked, trying to get any information she could.

"I don't know. What do they have to do with it?" the dragon slayer asked innocently, a wide grin on his face, laughing.

As Erza joined in his laughter, he was glad to see a little more of her fear melt away.

They were walking in the forest for an hour, still not meeting any monsters, when the fire mage stopped them.

"What is it?" Titania asked.

"I can't be sure, but I think there are some monsters in that direction," he said, pointing in the direction away from the village.

"What do you mean, you can't be sure?" she asked concerned.

"The winds shifted, and I caught a smell. By its strength, there are a lot of monsters there. But I don't hear anything, like they're all standing perfectly still. Could they be smart enough to retreat back to their lair after we killed those on the way to the village? Maybe they don't want to be detected, so they aren't moving?" the dragon slayer wondered out loud.

"Well, the mayor said it seemed like they were sieging the village, so they could be intelligent up to a point," the red-haired woman said as they started going in the direction he pointed to.

"I don't know how much you know about the first ten-year job we did, but there were wizards there that were creating monsters. If they were able to create stronger monsters, maybe they were able to create smarter ones. If they really could, maybe they did create them. We caught everyone that was there, even the man they claimed was their master, but we can't be sure that all of those dark wizards were there when we came, and we believed only their master ran, so if someone else managed to escape we wouldn't know."

"You think that this has something to do with that job?" the requip mage asked.

"I don't know," the pink-haired boy said. "But I've never heard of monsters like this. Their snake-like bodies, and their intelligence is something I never heard about any monster."

"In the end, it doesn't matter," Erza said. "We came here to do a job, and we'll do it. Whether we have to defeat a few dark wizards along with some monsters is not going to make much of a difference."

"I guess you're right," Natsu finally said, after some time of walking in silence.

They continued quietly in the direction the fire mage pointed to. It wasn't long until the smell of monsters came back and soon, they saw them. The snake-like creatures were everywhere, and because of their long bodies, it was impossible to judge how many of them there were. Behind the monsters, there was a cave, and it looked like they were guarding it. The cave probably contained a part of what they stole, at least what was left.

Until the monsters noticed them, they were perfectly still, almost looking like statues. Once they noticed them, more than a hundred monsters headed for them. It looked like Titania didn't intend to stay out of another fight, as the dragon slayer saw her requiping into her Clear Heart Clothing.

The pink-haired boy was glad to see that 'armor'. It showed him that even though the red-haired girl was still scared of him, she trusted him enough to defend her in a battle should she need it. Unlike her other armors, that one showed that her heart was still open to him. Maybe he did enjoy fighting next to Gray more than fighting besides anyone else, but that made him realize that even though he loved Gray more than anyone else, others didn't mean any less to him. He would still fight just as fiercely next to his friends as he would next to his boyfriend.

"Fire Sword!" the fire mage exclaimed, making a glowing sword of fire in his hand. He still hasn't used it in a battle yet, Erza being the first one to see it, but he wanted to fight next to her with a weapon in his hands, just like she was. He saw her brown eyes glance at him. She was probably surprised since he rarely held a weapon, much less used a sword in a fight, but she trusted he would be fine. And he would be. Just like he had during the battle with team B, he used fire that was invisible in light, but unlike in the arena where it covered the floor, this one covered his body. If he made a mistake, and a monster got to close, the fire on his body will defend him.

Before the white, snake-like creatures reached them, the two wizards headed for them, slicing everything in their path. The dragon slayer made sure he only used the sword in his hand. As fast as the creatures were coming at them, they were cut down. One after the other was killed, no mercy showed. Before long, all the creatures were dead.

The two wizards were a little winded, but this fight was a lot shorter than the battles they were usually in. They took some time to check that all the monsters were in fact dead, before they headed into the cave. Standing at the entrance, Natsu let the fire spread into the cave, flames staying close to the floor and the walls of the cave, lighting the interior. The white monsters waiting inside were immediately seen, but this time the flames burned them, the fire mage not wanting to risk a fight in this place.

There were a lot of paths in the cave, most of them big enough for the creatures to walk through, so his flames went all the way in, feeling every enemy, and burning them. The requip mage probably guessed what he was doing as she asked.

"Is the cave clear?" She looked astonished by his magic.

The dragon slayer was about to answer positively, when he felt something move in his flames that had spread. The red-haired girl noticed the surprise on his face, and fearfully asked, "What's wrong?"

"There's something still moving in there," he answered after he managed to get over his surprise. "It's like it's immune to fire. I don't want to make it any hotter, because I could burn anything else that's in there, and there may be something the villagers could use. I think we should go in," the pink-haired boy suggested.

"Immune to fire?" Erza asked thoughtfully. "You sure that only that one is in there?"

"I sent my flames everywhere, so there shouldn't be any more," the fire mage replied, confident he killed every other monster.

"Then we go in. We have to get rid of them all, or they could be back once we're gone," the requip mage said, nervously taking a first step in. She was probably afraid of his flames on the ground, but as she saw they weren't hot, she continued more confidently. The pink-haired boy forgot her fear of his flames as she spoke. "Do you know where we need to go?" she asked, and the dragon slayer nodded, taking the lead.

It was a long walk, Natsu's flames the only thing lighting their path. They were just about to enter the room where whatever was immune to his flames was in, and the fire mage said that to his friend. Erza requiped into her Black Wing Armor, and they proceeded in.

The creature they found inside looked just as snake-like as all the creatures outside did, but it wasn't white. The dragon slayer's flames that covered it just a moment ago receded, and its color was revealed. It looked like the flames that still danced on the floor. It was at least twice as long, and twice as big as the white monsters they killed outside.

The creature lunged at them, and they dodged to the sides, still not sure what it was capable of. As the monster continued attacking, Natsu couldn't help but think that this had some connection to The Creators. With its fire resistance, it felt like this creature was created just to fight him. Besides that, it seemed to ignore Erza, attacking only him. That gave Titania a lot of openings, but it moved its body every time she launched an attack.

Fighting continued for a few minutes, the pink-haired boy dodging the creature's attacks, and the monster dodging the red-haired girl's. Salamander decided that continuing like that was pointless. He let the fire consume the creature. Even if it was resistant to his flames, once he hardens them, it won't be able to move. Just like he planned, the flames held the creature in one place.

"You can finish it now," the fire mage told his friend, and as she looked hesitant to go near the flames he added, "They're not hot."

Erza went slowly to the creature, taking each step carefully with her hand in front of her, making sure that the fire wouldn't burn her. When she was satisfied it was safe, she raised her sword and swung it at the creature. The dragon slayer had to unsolidify his fire at the place where the sword was going to connect, and as the sword connected with the creature, it was clear that the creature was finished. Enormous amounts of blood flowed from the wound. Once Natsu felt the creature going limp in its cage, his flames got off the creature, only sticking to the floor again.

"Why were you afraid of going near it?" the fire mage asked, feeling a little sad at the fact that his friend was afraid of his magic, and clearly didn't trust him when he said it was safe. He also remembered how nervous she was to step into the cave.

"I don't know!" the red-haired girl exclaimed. "I don't want to be afraid of you, and I want to trust you. It's just… it's like there is some part of me that is afraid of you, and I can't control it. I know I shouldn't be afraid of you, and yet I can't convince that one part." She looked just as hurt by that fact as he felt.

"Maybe you just need some time," the dragon slayer said, hoping that time would help her. His friend also looked like she hoped the same thing. "Anyway, this monster was a lot tougher than those white ones. It dodged your every attack. And to top it off, it was fire resistant. Could some of the members of that dark guild really have escaped?" he asked worriedly

"I think it's more likely that someone else figured how to create monsters, if they were even created. I mean, do you really think that they'd go to another country, create monsters to defeat you, and hope that the villagers will send the job to Fairy Tail, and then hope it will be you who came? It's just a coincidence," the requip mage said, trying to ease his worries. "Now, come on, we still have a lot of ground to cover," she said, heading out the way they came. "We'll need to tell the mayor about this cave, so the villagers can come here and see if there's anything they can still use."

"Yea, you're probably right," the fire mage said, dismissing the uneasy feeling he got from this job, and following the red-haired girl out.

* * *

Gray and Lucy were walking for hours already, and they hadn't seen a single monster. They were talking almost the entire time, but the ice-make wizard got a feeling that there was something the blond girl wanted to ask but was too afraid. He figured it must be about Natsu, and the girl didn't want to ask, since he clearly said on the train that he wouldn't say anything else. So they continued talking about this and that.

"Do you think Erza and Natsu found anything by now?" the celestial wizard asked.

"Probably. Natsu's sense of smell is really good. While we were on a ten-year job he would pick monsters up while they were several kilometers away. Of course, he said it had a lot to do with the wind direction," the raven-haired boy answered, remembering their job.

"How are we supposed to find the monsters then?" It sounded like she was frustrated, but Gray felt that it wasn't because of their lack of enemies. Nonetheless, he decided to just focus on the question that was asked and ignore the frustration since he really didn't know what caused her to feel like that, and he didn't want to make things worse.

"I'm sure Erza intends to make a full circle around the village. I don't think she'll be satisfied otherwise."

"I guess you're right. It's Erza after all," the girl said making them laugh, but the ice-make wizard noted that she still had a question she was afraid to ask. He remembered noticing that look when Natsu said to her that he told something to Happy and it made him apologize over and over.

They walked in silence for some time until they saw Happy fly above them flying from them to Erza and Natsu. After the Exceed flew away, the celestial wizard spoke. "Do you know what was wrong with Happy before we left on this job?" she asked, as much curious as concerned.

"Not really," he answered. He also wanted to know what the cat was apologizing for.

It was a few minutes of silence, before the blond girl spoke again. "You and Natsu seem to be pretty close." Gray thought she figured it out, and was about to blush, but she continued speaking. "It's nice to see you act like friends should."

The ice-make wizard wanted to scream. One moment the girl sounded like she'll ask the question she's been dying to ask, and then the next he saw her get afraid and back off. Did she figure it out, and was embarrassed to ask, afraid she was wrong, or was there something else she wanted to know!

"Hey, Gray," she called again, and he felt her getting close to asking the question she wanted to ask. Before she continued, she became so embarrassed, the raven-haired boy could no longer read her. "Were you ever in love with someone?"

 _Damn it,_ the ice-make wizard thought. It was such an ambiguous question that he couldn't figure out where it leaded. Did she know about them or not! "Yes," he answered simply, hiding the battle in his mind.

They walked in silence for a short time, before Lucy, still embarrassed, asked another question. "Are you in love with someone now?" she asked timidly. The raven-haired boy knew this was leading somewhere, but was it the love, him, or him in love that lead further, he couldn't figure.

Before he could answer, they saw a streak of blue above them approaching. Happy flew up to them, and spoke, worry filling his eyes. "Natsu and Erza just destroyed one of the monsters' lair. They said I should stay with you from now, and I should go tell them if you find a lair," the cat said, looking mostly at Gray, never looking Lucy in the eye. It looked like the Exceed didn't like the idea of him staying with them, but he needed to do it.

"Do they think we can't kill a few monsters?" the ice-make wizard asked, because he really didn't want to return to the previous conversation. He didn't want to reveal he and Natsu were together if the celestial wizard didn't figure it out, and if that conversation went any further, he could.

"They found a different kind of monster inside. He looked snake-like like all the others, but it was bigger, orange, and was immune to Natsu's flames," the cat said.

"What do you mean it was immune to Natsu's flames!?" Gray asked surprised. He hoped Natsu was all right.

"Natsu tried burning it with his Fire Magic, but it didn't work. They managed to kill it, but they said you should be careful. They think that these monsters are smart. The monsters all waited at their lair, not moving, and only attacked when they noticed that Natsu and Erza saw them."

With the Exceed joining them, they continued in silence, Happy walking next to Gray, as far away from Lucy as he could. There was definitely something wrong between the two, but neither of them seemed willing to work it out.

After half an hour of silence, the ice-make wizard finally had enough. "What's wrong with the two of you?" he asked, now knowing how the girls felt hearing Happy's constant giggles.

"I don't know! Happy hasn't talked to me since we started this job. I thought he'd have my back here, and he's been acting like I don't exist," the celestial wizard said, as if just waiting for that question.

"Have your back?" the raven-haired boy asked confused.

"Yes. I was go-" the blond girl started saying.

"No! Don't tell him!" the cat interrupted, tears falling from his eyes, looking completely different from how he was on their way to the village.

"Why not!?" Lucy yelled back. "He's going to find out anyway!" Gray didn't know what was happening anymore. What were they even talking about?

"Aye, but… but…" the Exceed cried, not knowing what to say. He looked like he was waiting to be buried alive.

"I was going to ask Natsu out," the celestial wizard blurted out. It took a few seconds for what she said to sink in, and when it did, he stopped.

How was he supposed to take that? How should he react? What should he say? How was someone in his situation expected to act? Was there even a normal way to take that?

"You? Ask Natsu out?" he asked quietly. It was all he could get out. The girl probably thought that he was surprised that she would ask the pink-haired boy out. In truth, he was going through how the cat acted since he started to apologize a couple of days ago, and as if Lucy knew what he was thinking, she spoke up, and helped fill in a few blanks that remained.

"Before the invasion, I decided I would do it after the fight was done. But Natsu distanced himself from everyone, and I didn't think that would be a good time. Happy somehow noticed, and after Master told everyone what was going on with Natsu and we saw how afraid everyone was, Happy said Natsu would feel better if he knew that there were people who still wanted to be with him and said I should ask him out. I hoped Happy would help me get some time alone with Natsu on this job, but he's been ignoring me," the celestial wizard explained.

"You thought this would hurt Natsu enough to make him stop loving you?" the ice-make wizard asked the still crying Exceed. He was about say it was a stupid worry, when he remembered something he asked his boyfriend during their walk to the guild.

The raven-haired boy asked what he had decided, could he still be friends with Lucy if she told him she was in love with him. His boyfriend said that even if he could, it would at least feel weird, so their friendship would suffer, even if it did continue. Now it felt like Natsu was predicting future.

Gray ignored that for now and went to hug Happy. "She would have asked him out whether you said something or not. It's not your fault Happy," he tried to console his boyfriend's best friend with the truth.

"Why would me asking Natsu out hurt him!?" the celestial wizard, who Gray forgot was even there, asked surprised. She was probably trying to figure out what was happening. Each of them had a part of the story, and with the pieces of other parts they were getting, they just got confused.

The ice-make wizard didn't know how to answer her. There was a time he was afraid that Lucy had feelings for Natsu, and that he would lose his boyfriend, but after the fire mage said he looked at her as a sister, he completely forgot about it. How could he answer her now?

Should he tell her the truth, betray Natsu by doing so, and hurt Lucy? Should he lie which would surely make Lucy hate him once she finds out the truth? Is there any good way out of this, and how will he explain this to Natsu, whatever he does?

He knew that anything but the truth would make Lucy hate him. She'll definitely think he was laughing behind her back the whole time once she found out.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, deciding that he couldn't tell her, not without his boyfriend. "I think this is something you have to talk to Natsu about. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone until he decided otherwise, and I'm sure Happy promised the same thing." The ice-make wizard turned to the Exceed. "Go get Natsu and Erza. Tell them to meet us in the village."

"Are you sure, Gray?" the cat asked, tears stopping.

"I'm sure," the raven-haired boy said, smiling sadly. "If we leave things like this, Erza will be the only one acting normally, and then she'd probably beat it out of us. Go. I promise, Natsu will be fine."

"If you say so," Happy said, spreading his wings and flying off.

The ice-make wizard stood up, and before he could say anything, he heard a scared voice. "What should I say?" the celestial wizard asked sounding as if she wanted to disappear.

"I wish I knew," the raven-haired boy said, knowing people will get hurt. "You asked me before if I love someone. I do, and I loved that person for some time now. I was almost certain that that person would reject me once I tell my feelings, but I still decided to do so. It was a friend, and I knew that it could ruin our friendship, but I knew I had to tell my secret. There was someone who recently told me that as long as I know what I want I should try to get it. Either I'll get it, I'll fail and know what I need to do to get it next time, or I'll fail and know that I'll never get it. Whatever happens I'd know where I stand."

"So you think I should tell him? Even though you said it will hurt him?" the blond girl said.

"If you don't tell him, you'll hurt, and you know Natsu doesn't want his friends to hurt, especially because of him. He may be hurt, and you may be hurt, but you'll work through this. I know you will," Gray said confidently, even though, in truth, he wasn't sure if they'll ever work through this, if any of them will be able to look at each other in the same way. "Now, come on. Let's go," he said, starting for the village.

As Lucy caught up to him, she asked, "What happened to that person? Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

"Yeah, I did," the ice-make wizard said with a smile, remembering how Natsu 'told' him how he felt. "But only after the person confessed to me."

"So, when will I meet her?" she asked, back to her playful self.

"Soon," he answered mysteriously, knowing it wouldn't be a pleasant meeting.

"It's not Juvia…" the girl said thoughtfully, before she exclaimed. "Wait! Does Juvia know? Is that why she looked ready to kill you in your fight against team B?"

"No," Gray said chuckling, his emotions not settling, feeling every emotion he could think of, from bad to good. "That was before we were together. The night at the party I told Juvia that I love someone else, and that's why she had that look in her eyes."

"So, it happened recently, either before the second ten-year job you and Natsu took, or after it, while you were in Magnolia," the celestial wizard tried to figure it out.

"I'm not saying another word. Now I think I already said too much," he said, making a motion of zipping his mouth and throwing the key away, feeling guilty, because once she learns the truth, she'll not remember this conversation fondly.

"Fine, then I want to meet her after this job is done."

The raven-haired boy could only think that she'll meet 'her' a lot sooner. He didn't know whether to feel happy someone else will know about him and Natsu, or if he should feel terrified at how this will affect them all. It was too late now. Their each step was a step closer to the truth, and everything he was feeling was only intensified by its closeness, his emotions raging more than the step before.

* * *

Natsu and Erza only found one lair so far, and they only saw the monsters around and in there. They were still looking when they saw a blue cat flying for them. Natsu immediately found himself worried, since they sent the Exceed to be with Gray and Lucy. As Happy came close, the fire mage was even more worried.

"Happy, why were you crying? What happened? Are Gray and Lucy all right?" the dragon slayer shot question after question, and he would continue had he not desperately wanted an answer to the questions he already asked.

"They're fine," the cat said, relieve filling the pink-haired boy and the red-haired girl next to him. "Gray said you should meet at the village."

Natsu looked at the requip mage, and she nodded her head, before saying, "We could continue, but they wouldn't call us back for no reason."

"Then let's go," the dragon slayer said, as he quickly walked towards the village, wanting to know what was going on.


	17. The Confessions

**Chapter 17: The Confessions**

Natsu set a quick pace, and Erza, Happy and he arrived in the village very quickly. Since they didn't agree on any specific place to meet, the team headed for the mayor's house. They had to report that they destroyed one lair and that they would continue their search the next day, also hoping the man would know where their teammates were.

The sun was already setting, so the mayor didn't ask them why they were already ending their search for the day, and as it turned out, he saw Gray and Lucy at the village's bar. In addition, he told them that they could sleep in one house which was empty for some time now, giving them the directions to it, and saying that he made sure all their stuff waited for them there.

They headed for the bar, wanting to know why the other team asked them to meet at the village. It seemed like the whole village didn't have anything to do, seeing as the bar was full, and they rarely saw any people on the streets. It took them some time to locate their teammates, and when they finally found them, they came to stand near the table were the two were sitting. There weren't any more chairs for them to sit on.

"You're here," Gray said. There was a smile on his face, but the fire mage saw it was forced. It's not that the smile was forced, it looked like the ice-make wizard was forcing everything else he felt not to show, like even though he was happy and could smile, at the same time he was sad and could cry, embarrassed and could hide from everyone. The dragon slayer couldn't think of what could make his boyfriend feel like that.

"Yea, you said we should meet at the village," the pink-haired boy said, feeling a questioning look form on his face. "So, what is it?"

The raven-haired boy looked at the blond girl sitting at the same table, before he looked at the fire mage and said, "I think we should talk somewhere more private." He looked around at all the people in the bar, the smile gone from his face.

What was going on? What did they have to say that required privacy, and why did his boyfriend look like he didn't know what to feel?

"The mayor told us we could sleep in an empty house in this village," the red-haired woman said, probably just as confused as Natsu was. "We'll have privacy there."

"Okay, let's go," Gray said. He stood up and went for the exit. The pink-haired boy saw the celestial wizard going after his boyfriend, looking scared? worried? nervous? She kept her head down, not looking at anyone at any moment. The fire mage was confused by everything he saw.

The whole team followed after Erza, the red-haired girl the only one who still thought this had something to do with the job. Natsu didn't know what was going on, but he noticed enough weird things to know that this didn't have anything to do with monsters.

Happy was crying before. Gray couldn't figure out what emotion he should feel. Lucy wouldn't look at him. The dragon slayer couldn't come up with anything that would explain all of that. He would've liked to talk to his boyfriend alone, ask him what was going on, but that wouldn't happen with the girls there. So, he just followed the requip mage, preparing himself for whatever was to come.

Finally reaching the house, the ice-make wizard spoke before they could enter. "Erza, I think we should let Natsu and Lucy talk in private."

A thought occurred in the pink-haired boy's mind. Did Lucy figure out that they were together, and that thought was so weird to her that she couldn't even look at him? But why would she need to talk to him then?

Maybe she convinced the raven-haired boy that that's not how things work, that two boys can't be in that kind of a relationship and he wanted Lucy to convince him too? That would explain everything. Happy was crying because his friend would get hurt, Gray's mixed emotions came because he realized how wrong he had been, and Lucy didn't want to look at him, because she knew she would hurt him. Could that be it? Could he lose Gray? He would have cried right there and then if, after he learned the ice-make wizard felt the same, he hadn't seen that it was too easy to come to a wrong conclusion. He was afraid to open his heart to the person he loved because he was afraid it would end their friendship. That was when he decided that he couldn't always trust the conclusions he came to. If it turned out to be true, he could cry then, he could be sad, angry. He could convince Gray that Lucy was wrong. But, that would only happen once he learned what was really going on.

As the raven-haired boy said that, the requip mage looked like she finally knew what this was about. Natsu found that strange, since the girl thought it had something to do with their job just a second ago. "Why? It seems we all know what this is about," the red-haired woman said.

"You know?" his boyfriend asked, clearly surprised. Then turning to the blond girl, he asked. "You told her?"

The celestial wizard only nodded, looking at the floor. The only thing that the dragon slayer got out of that conversation was that he was the only one who didn't know what was going on.

The ice-make wizard took some time to collect his thoughts, before he spoke again. "Still, this will be hard enough without us there. They should have privacy."

Natsu would have said something, but since he seemed like the only one who didn't know anything, he was silently waiting.

"You're right," Erza finally said. "Go on in. We'll be out here," she finished, looking at the fire mage and the celestial wizard.

It seemed like the blond girl didn't have any power to speak, as she too just did what she was told. She nodded and went into the house.

"Go Natsu. We'll be here if you need us," his boyfriend said, patting him on the back. After a slight push with that pat, he entered the house.

* * *

Erza, Gray and Happy sat leaning on the house for half an hour. The red-haired girl was getting restless.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked, eager to hear the details of her friend's confession.

The Exceed and the raven-haired boy shared a look, before the boy spoke, his face having a sad expression. "I don't think it'll go as well as you hope."

"You mean, he'll reject her?" she asked confused. She didn't understand it. Natsu clearly saw Lucy as more than a friend. She was so sure that he would say yes, that she even promised the blond girl she'd get her some alone time with him today. Gray beat her to it, doing it in not so subtle way, and now he said the fire mage will reject her?

The ice-make wizard only nodded. "Then why did you tell her to confess to him!?" Erza said, probably a little too loud, but it was not loud enough for the pair in the house to hear her, taking care not to say anything loud enough for the dragon slayer's ears to pick up. That's what she hoped, at least.

Just as the raven-haired boy opened his mouth to answer her, the doors opened, slamming into the wall. The dragon slayer, anger on his face, ran out and off towards the forest.

* * *

Natsu entered the house and sat at the table opposite Lucy about five minutes ago. He didn't see her move since he sat down, while he couldn't seem to get comfortable in his chair. The fire mage would have made her say whatever she had to say, he couldn't take any more of this, but the girl across from him looked on the verge of tears. She looked scared, embarrassed, sad, and it looked like she was gathering courage to say whatever she wanted to say. The pink-haired boy decided to let her take as much time as she needed, while he was trying (unsuccessfully) to settle onto his seat.

* * *

Lucy sat perfectly still for quite some time now, must've been almost half an hour. The boy across from her was a complete opposite. He didn't seem to be able to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time. While she gathered her courage, she was surprised that the dragon slayer could even be in this room, not doing anything, for so long.

She felt like she'll finally be able to say what she wanted, but she realized she didn't know what to say. The celestial wizard knew she couldn't ask him out. This was definitely not how you ask someone out. She felt something for the pink-haired boy, but, unlike what Gray must've thought, it wasn't a feeling she could clearly define as love, so she couldn't say that she was in love with him. What did Gray expect from her? What was she supposed to tell the boy across from her?

"I wanted to ask you out on this job," she finally said, deciding it was the best thing to say, trying to make her face impassive.

It was pretty clear to her. She knew the fire mage for a few years by now, and she felt something for him. She wanted to go on a date with the boy to see what those feelings were, what they would develop into.

It was also pretty clear to her that the boy sitting across from her didn't understand her. He may be acting more maturely, but he was still so childish regarding some things.

"I wanted to go on a date with you," she explained, hoping it was clear enough for even the childish dragon slayer to get.

The fire mage took a few second for what was said to reach his brain, and then all the emotion he had took turn on his face. Surprise, sadness, terror and guilt, until anger finally settled on his face. Why was he angry? Because she told him? Who was he angry at? Her, because she told him, Gray because he made her tell him, or was it all of them, because they knew about this and said nothing?

She didn't have time to come up with more questions or get the answers to the questions she already came up with, because the boy to whom she was just talking to got off his chair so fast it flipped behind him and ran from the house as fast as he could.

Lucy was left in the room alone, thinking why the dragon slayer reacted as he had.

* * *

Natsu didn't get what she meant. She wanted to ask him out on this job? Did she want to go on this job with him? Was that what she meant? But why would that be so urgent as to call them to immediately come to the village?

Apparently, it was evident on his face that he didn't get what she meant, so she explained. "I wanted to go on a date with you."

After he finally got what she meant, he felt his emotions fighting for dominance.

He was surprised, surprised she felt something for him, surprised she would ask him out, surprised Gray, Happy and Erza knew about it, surprised Gray wanted her to tell him, surprised he once thought how he would feel if this were to happen.

He was sad, sad she would get hurt, sad he would be the one hurting her, sad this had to happen, sad Gray knew what was being said in here.

He was terrified, terrified of how this would affect their friendship, terrified of how she would react to him rejecting her, terrified that he was oblivious of two people having feelings for him.

He felt guilty, guilty for having to reject her, guilty for having to hurt her.

He was angry, angry that something like this happened.

The pink-haired boy knew he had nothing and no one to be angry at, and yet, that was the emotion that stayed with him. Was it because it was the strongest emotion he felt, was it because he rarely got angry at no one in particular, was it just because it was the last emotion that joined the boiling cauldron that were his emotions, he didn't know, but he knew he needed some time to cool down, so he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Natsu suddenly stood up, flipping the chair he was sitting on just a moment ago, stormed towards the door, opening them forcefully, and running off to the forest.

He heard Gray's voice as he ran for the forest. "I'll go after him. Make sure Lucy's fine," he was probably saying that to Erza and Happy.

The fire mage ran into the forest, on the side he and Erza were clearing. While they were in the forest, he heard the flow of a river. Watching the water flow calmed him down. He learned that after he wasn't able to work his emotions by punching a few trees anymore. The sound of the river reached him, and he followed it. Finally seeing the clear water, he found a tree on which he could lean on to and sat down.

By the time his boyfriend reached him, he calmed enough to be able to think clearly. Just like the time he ran from the guildhall, Gray came and sat down next to him. This felt exactly like that time.

Just like that time, five minutes passed before anyone spoke. "Sorry I did that." It wasn't the dragon slayer that apologized.

"It's okay," the pink-haired boy said, now as calm as one could be in that situation, taking his boyfriend's hand. "I'd rather know than see Lucy hurting and not know why." There was a minute of silence before Natsu slammed his head on the tree he was leaning on. "What am I going to do now?" he wondered. He ran from there without a single word.

"What exactly happened in there?" the ice-make wizard asked hesitantly. It was clear that he was glad the boy he loved wasn't angry with him, but the mixed emotions he had before were still there.

"She said she wanted to ask me out, and I just ran out of there. I just felt so angry that something like that was happening, I had to get away from there. My emotions influence my magic, and this was the first time I got that angry since my demon power made me stronger. I didn't know what would happen, so I thought that the safest thing would be to get away from everyone." The dragon slayer hated the fact that he being a demon changed his life so much. He couldn't fight as he did before, he couldn't go all out in fights, he had to constantly keep himself in check so he wouldn't do anything reckless, and now he couldn't even answer Lucy's unasked question, fearing his magic would get out of control. "What is she thinking now, me leaving her there with an angry expression on my face?"

"You can explain it to her, like you did to me. She'll understand. However much the others at the guild are terrified of you, they all understand that you must be more afraid than any of them are," the raven-haired boy said, squeezing his hand.

"And what should I tell her about... that?" he wondered out loud. Until recently he didn't even feel an emotion like that. How was he supposed to know what he should say to someone in a position like that, if he didn't even know what he would want to hear if he told that to someone and was to be rejected? Sorry, I don't feel that way towards you? Sorry, you're like a sister to me? Sorry, I'm with someone else? Whatever he said, he would hurt her, and that's the last thing he ever wanted to do to a friend, especially to someone he looked at as his sister.

"Whatever you decide, I'll be there with you," the ice-make wizard said. Natsu knew Gray would be there, but it still felt good to hear him say it. Even though the raven-haired boy didn't give any concrete answer to the questions he had, the fire mage was still glad he came. Just feeling his boyfriend's presence helped him more than anything he might've said.

"Come on," the dragon slayer said, standing, pulling his boyfriend to his feet by the hand he was still holding. "I can't leave her there any longer." Although he would have liked to hold Gray's hand forever, he let it go. He couldn't just waltz back to the house, holding the ice-make wizard's hand and proclaim they were together. That would just be cruel to Lucy, and he didn't want to hurt her, not more that he had to. They started back towards the house, only the last rays of the day shining their path.

* * *

Lucy sat on a chair, eyes closed, still trying to figure out what happened. She could imagine why Natsu was surprised, terrified, sad and guilty, but she couldn't understand at what or who exactly he was angry. He stormed out of the house looking angry enough to kill someone.

Did she do the right thing? Will their friendship end? Will he be angry at her forever? Does that mean their team will break apart?

She felt hurt by the way the pink-haired boy reacted. She felt hurt by the fact that her feelings, even though she didn't know exactly what they were, weren't reciprocated. But however much she hurt, she knew the dragon slayer would feel worse. Of all the people in the guild, there were only three persons in it that weren't terrified of him, and he just lost one of them, because she stupidly wanted something more, thinking it was what he also wanted.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by the footsteps in the house. "Are you okay?" a compassionate voice coming from Erza asked. She didn't hear anyone else in the house, so she figured they were alone.

Now that her embarrassment and fear were gone, she felt only sadness, and it showed on her face in the form of tears running from her closed eyes. The red-haired girl saw that and came to hug her friend.

"What happened?" the requip mage asked quietly, probably thinking that the pink-haired boy rejected her. Maybe he did, and she surely felt like he did, but the actual words were never said.

"Nothing," she said, as best as she could. "He just ran out."

"He'll come back and explain everything, you'll see. Maybe he needed to sort his feelings, or maybe he needed to find an answer to give you, but if he still hasn't said anything, he'll come back," the red-haired girl said soothingly.

Her friend definitely wanted to help, but Lucy wasn't sure that's what she wanted to hear. Will Natsu coming back and telling or explaining why he rejected her make her feel any better? Will that make it easier to get over him? Will the feelings she felt for him, the feelings she wanted to explore disappear?

Well, she decided, there was nothing she could do about it, one way or another. She said what she wanted to say, and now it was up to him. It was his turn to say what he wanted to say.

"Do you want me to make some tea?" Erza asked. Lucy only nodded. Tea sounded nice. Maybe the hot liquid could warm the cold she felt inside herself. As her friend stopped hugging her, she finally opened her eyes. Tears stopped falling some time ago, but her eyes were still watery, so she had to blink several times to clear her vision.

As her vision cleared, she saw that they weren't alone. At the doors to the house was Happy looking at the floor. Something Natsu told him must've been what made him know that he would reject her, and he felt ashamed because of it. Maybe the cat wasn't the one who made her want to ask the pink-haired boy out, but he must've felt it was all his fault. No wonder he couldn't look at her since this job started.

"Happy," she said quietly, her voice still weak from how she felt. The cat looked at her, looking at her eyes for the first time since they took this job, and he looked ashamed. Before he started apologizing, which she knew he was about to do, she spoke. "Gray was right. I would have asked him even without you saying anything." It was the only thing she could say, but it seemed to help Exceed, at least a little. He still looked ashamed, but he wasn't apologizing.

The blue cat came into the house and sat on the couch in the same room as the table was, looking at the floor again.

Erza came back with the tea, giving one cup to Lucy, offering one to Happy who accepted, still looking at the floor, taking the third one herself, and sitting at the table after she righted the chair Natsu flipped. They sat there in silence, sipping their tea.

The celestial wizard never thought that a little bit of warm liquid could help her so much. The tea seemed to stabilize her emotionally, at least as much as she could be in this kind of situation. As she felt strength coming back to her, she broke the silence. "Where's Gray?"

It was her red-haired friend who answered. "He went after Natsu. He'll bring him back by force if he won't come otherwise," she said with a look that could convince anyone her words were true.

"I don't think he'll ever use force on Natsu," Happy said quietly, making the girls turn their heads to him, but he gave no further explanation.

"Either way, do you think Natsu would tell him what happened?" the blond girl asked.

"He'll tell him everything," the cat answered quietly, again not saying anything more.

Lucy was surprised by what the Exceed said, so she had to ask. "You think Natsu would open up to Gray about his love life?" Maybe they were acting like friends should now, but even friends had some boundaries. Sure, he'd tell him about a girlfriend he had, he'd tell him someone asked him out and he rejected them, but she didn't believe the proud Salamander would tell anyone that someone all but confessed and he ran out on them. She wouldn't tell that to anyone.

Happy looked her in the eyes once more and answered confidently, "Yes." The celestial wizard didn't know why, but she believed that one word more than anything else in her life. Before they could continue their conversation, the boys came back. She cursed silently, knowing that Natsu must've heard at least a part of that conversation.

She turned towards the door, as she heard the footsteps outside. Natsu came in first, no anger on his face, and Gray came after him, standing about a meter behind him. Had the fire mage had a displeased look on his face, she would have thought that the raven-haired boy really brought him by force. With the serious expression the dragon slayer had, there was no mistaking that he knew that he needed to be here, and he was here of his own accord.

They came into the room where the girls and Happy were, standing by the doors, Natsu looking like he didn't know what to do, and Gray looking like he was making sure his friend wouldn't run away. The celestial wizard saw that her red-haired friend didn't look very comfortable in that situation. She probably felt like that was something private between the two, even if she said before that they all knew what it was about. The only reason she didn't get out of there was because Gray and Happy were there, and they had as much reason to be there as Erza did.

"You know," the pink-haired boy said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, struggling to not show anything he was feeling. "I spent this whole time thinking of what to say, and I still got nothing." He took a deep breath, before he continued. "Before I got my memories back, I never felt love. No, that's wrong. I did feel it, but as something bad, something I didn't want, so I never thought about things like that."

Lucy remembered Gray telling them on the train ride there that Natsu blaming himself for the death of his parents was only scratching the surface of his problems. Could the dragon slayer have told him this already? And what exactly was so bad in his past that he was unable to feel love? The blond girl saw that the requip mage was listening to the story intently.

"I knew people dated each other, I just thought I never found anyone who I liked like that. I realized how wrong I was after I got my memories back. I consider all my guildmates my family, my brothers and sisters, and while that's true, I don't feel any sibling love towards them. Don't get me wrong, I'd do anything to protect any of them, but I remember what I felt towards Zeref when we were little, and I don't feel that way towards any of them. You're the only one I feel that for. Maybe it's because of miss Anna, but more than anyone else in the guild, more than Erza who I spent almost ten years with, I consider you a sister."

That was a nice rejection, but it was a rejection nonetheless. He said he considered her a sister.

"Besides you, who I learned I love like a sister, there was another guildmate for whom I felt something."

So that was it. The celestial wizard almost laughed. Of course he had someone else. What she couldn't figure out was who? It wasn't Erza, that she was sure of, and she didn't see Natsu hang out with any other girl from the guild. Was it a secret relationship? Maybe they didn't want anyone to know. Was that what he told Happy? Did he tell him and Gray who he was dating? Would he tell her and Erza now?

The dragon slayer looked back at the ice-make wizard as if asking permission, which was crazy. Why would he have to ask someone else if he could tell them who he was dating. She was even more surprised to see the raven-haired boy nod, a small smile on his face. The fire mage turned to the girls sitting at the table and spoke.

"I'm sorry Lucy," he said looking genuinely sorry, "but I'm dating Gray."

She closed her eyes, the impassive look she had since the boys came back cracked by the joke she just heard. The celestial wizard didn't remember when the last time she laughed so hard was. Tears were streaming from her closed eyes, and she couldn't feel but be thankful to the pink-haired boy. Making her laugh like this while she still felt like she could cry at any moment.

She must've laughed for a minute, and it didn't feel like it would stop anytime soon, but something was weird. The blond girl heard only her own laugher. The others must've laughed it off already, she decided, but as she thought back, she didn't remember hearing anyone else's laughter.

This had to be a joke, right? Two boys, in a romantic relationship, and Natsu and Gray of all people? She never heard of anything like this, but nobody else was laughing.

Calming herself down as much as possible, she opened her eyes and nearly cried at what she saw. Natsu was turned away from her, hugging Gray tightly, Gray's arms around him. Judging from the shaking of his back, he was probably crying. The ice-make wizard looked her in the eyes, looking ready to freeze her, his mouth moving, probably trying to comfort the crying boy. He looked just as hurt as the pink-haired boy, ready to cry, but staying strong for his fri- boy… friend?

The celestial wizard felt worse than she felt when she thought she ruined a friendship between her and Natsu. At that moment, she hated herself more than she ever hated anyone else. Throughout his explanation, the pink-haired boy looked serious. He told her something he probably thought people would find weird, and she, a person he said was like a sister to him, laughed like it was a joke, like she couldn't accept it as anything but a joke. She even felt thankful he told her a joke! How could she not hate herself?

Was this really happening? Could what Natsu said really be true? She remembered her conversation with Gray, how he said someone confessed to him sometime in the last few days. Could Natsu be that someone? The ice-make wizard did say he was certain that whoever he had feelings for would reject him, and this was a good reason to feel that way. She remembered that the raven-haired boy never used gender pronouns, always saying that person and they. That decided it. They weren't joking.

That left a question of how a person would react to that information. Of course, people would laugh, finding it weird, unnormal, and maybe even unnatural, thinking it couldn't be anything but a joke. But she wasn't most people, at least she shouldn't have been. She should have known them well enough to realize what was going on, or at least not laugh in their faces when they told her. Teammates were supposed to be there for each other, and the only thing she did, was hurt them. This may be the reason they haven't told anybody, and with her reaction, they probably won't tell anyone else.

* * *

Erza sat perfectly still, not knowing how to react. Her friend started laughing, but she didn't join her. Natsu may see Lucy as a sister, but the red-haired girl knew him for ten years, knew that wasn't a voice he used when joking, knew this was a serious conversation. If he was joking, there would be time to laugh later, but she would hurt the boys by laughing, if it turned out to be true. And she saw the celestial wizard do exactly that.

It seemed like Natsu still hasn't consciously processed what was happening, his face staring at the blond girl, no emotion on it, but some part of him must've already figured it out, because tears were running down his face. Gray knew what happened already. He was hurt by Lucy's reaction, that was clear on his face, the only reason tears weren't coming out of his eyes was because he was stopping them.

As Natsu finally realized what was happening, hurt and sadness filled his face, tears coming faster than before. He turned away from them, looking at Gray for support, closing their arms around each other, helping each other through what was happening.

The celestial wizard was either ignoring the whole world, or just didn't care what was happening. She was still laughing as strongly as she was when it all began.

The requip mage looked at the Exceed on a couch, and there were tears in his eyes too. This was obviously not how any of them expected they would react.

But how could they react any differently? The only reason she wasn't laughing right at that moment was because she knew the boys well enough to know that this wasn't a joke. She still couldn't accept that they were together. How could she? That's not how things work. That's not how boys should feel for each other.

She was thinking thoughts like that, when she realized something. That's not how things work? She almost laughed at that thought. Were her feelings for Jellal how things should work? He tried to sacrifice her, lied to all her friends, made them hate her, yet she still loved him. And that wasn't how things work? Why wouldn't they work like that? If that's what they felt, if that's what they wanted, why couldn't things work that way? Who was she to tell someone that's not how love works, when she herself doesn't know why she's in love with someone who tried to kill her?

As Erza finally decided that this wasn't her decision to make, that she would support her childhood friends if this is what they wanted, what they felt, Lucy opened her eyes. The red-haired girl was watching the celestial wizard, and her expression changed immediately after she opened her eyes. She saw her friend go from being happy, to feeling sad, guilty, horrified at what she just now realized she did. Her eyes looked straight into the blue eyes of the ice-make wizard, eyes filled with hurt and tears, eyes that warned not to hurt the person he loved more than she already had.

The requip mage focused on the raven-haired boy's eyes, eyes that at first she thought were filled only with hurt. But that wasn't true. Sure, they had hurt in them, the only emotions evident on their surface, but now she saw something more. She saw something more powerful that she thought was even possible. She saw something she remembered seeing since the boys came back from their last job. Love filled those eyes so much that she thought it changed the color of the eyes. Maybe that wasn't how things usually work, but seeing the love in those eyes, the only thought in her mind was: Who cares if that's not how things work!?

From this moment until she died, she knew this would be the picture she'd saw in her mind when she thought of love. This emotion, far more powerful than she saw on anyone else's face, can't be wrong. No matter how unnatural, how out of the norm, how impossible to believe, Gray, and she remembered that Natsu too, loved each other more than any two persons she ever met in her life. She wouldn't care what other people say, she'll defend them, no matter what.

Realizing that, she found herself without fear, for the first time since the master told them the truth about Natsu. How could she be afraid of someone who had this much love for another human being, who had more love for one person than she thought a hundred people combined couldn't even come close to? She could only feel happiness for her friends, happy in the fact that they realized what they felt, and ignoring how wrong it must've felt, how others would react, they had the courage to go against everything, fighting for what they felt.

Tears formed in her eyes as she realized just how hard this must have been for them to say. How much they had to hurt to see one of their friends laugh at their feelings. And how strong they both must be to be honest with themselves about something like this, much less be able to tell it to others.

"Natsu…" the celestial wizard said, jerking her out of her thoughts, probably finally sorting everything she felt. Erza saw Gray's warning look. No matter how much he was hurting, it was clear that his look said, "Don't you dare hurt him more than you already have."

"Natsu, I'm sorry," Lucy said. She must've known how much she hurt him. Telling something like that to a person you consider a sister, just to have her laugh at you?

The ice-make wizard was still saying things into the pink-haired boy's ear, and by the few things she managed to catch, he was consoling him, repeating Lucy's words to him since the fire mage was probably ignoring the whole world except for the boy in his arms.

The blond girl diverted her look to the floor, likely not knowing what else to say.

Five minutes passed before Natsu's shaking, and tears that must've been falling from his eyes, stopped. "Are you okay?" she heard the ice-make wizard ask, to which the dragon slayer only nodded with his head on the boy's shoulder. "You sure?"

"I'm fine," the fire mage answered, moving back so he could look at the raven-haired boy's eyes. Natsu must've smiled at Gray before he turned, seeing as when he turned, he had a smile on his face, although it was a sad one.

The boy's black eyes were looking at the celestial wizard, waiting for her to look back at him. The room was silent for a minute, the boy waiting. When she finally looked at him, his face was full of sadness and guilt. "I'm sorry Lucy, but this is the truth," he said simply. The girl just nodded, before turning her gaze down.

Erza signaled the boys to leave. It would be best to leave Lucy alone with her for some time. They seemed to understand since they nodded, and Natsu gestured to Happy to follow them.

As their teammates left the house, going into the dark night, as their footsteps were no longer heard, Lucy began crying.


	18. An Awkward Dinner

**Chapter 18: An Awkward Dinner**

Natsu saw Erza's signal clearly. He knew Lucy needed some time without them there, but if he were honest with himself, he probably needed to get away from the blond girl. He signaled to Happy to follow him, and holding Gray's hand, he went out of the house with his boyfriend. There wasn't anywhere they could go at night in a small village like this, so he led them back to the river, back to the spot he had run off to before.

On their way there, in the silence they walked through, he thought back to the moment he told the girls that he and Gray were together. He knew they both said they wouldn't care what others thought, and he was absolutely sure their feelings wouldn't change no matter what anyone else did, but the celestial wizard laughing at them really hurt them both. Even though the dragon slayer was the one crying, he was sure his boyfriend needed that hug just as much as he did. The ice-make wizard was trying to act strong, probably thinking it was Natsu who hurt more, but they were both affected in the same way.

The possibility that most of their guildmates would laugh at them, try to convince them they couldn't be in love, couldn't be together, insult them, mock them, was almost a certainty, but neither of them thought that one of their teammates would be among those guildmates.

What hurt him the most wasn't Lucy laughing at them, it was the fact that she took more than a minute to realize it wasn't a joke. It took her more than a minute to consider that what he said was true. It took her more than a minute to stop her laughter. If that's how a person who knew them better than most of the other guildmates took it, how would others react?

That was the thought in Natsu's mind as he sat down, leaning on a tree with Gray, the same tree they were at no more than half an hour ago. This time, Happy joined them, the blue cat settling between their clasped hands.

They walked to that place in dark, their eyes adjusted enough for a slow walk in the dark forest, but sitting down, the fire mage wanted light, warmth. He moved close to his boyfriend, close enough to be shoulder to shoulder, taking the Exceed and putting him on their connected legs. He had warmth now, but he still needed light. He let his flames spread from him, letting them go about ten meters from him, going over the forest floor, the trees, the bushes, the river. Everything that was closer than ten meters to him was covered in his flames. It was a beautiful sight, the flowing water reflecting the flames' light.

A few seconds later, it became even more beautiful. Instead of just the water reflecting the light of his flames, the ice-make wizard created small particles of ice everywhere in the air which did that too. It was their own, private festival. He felt his boyfriend lean his head on his shoulder and he leaned his so that their heads would connect.

His cheek touching the raven hair, he knew this would always feel right and if he was willing to go through all the horrible things that happened in his life just to have this, he could take all the laugher and insults they would get. He would hold onto this, no matter what happened, no matter what he has to suffer through.

Then he remembered something that made him grin.

With his cheek touching his boyfriend's head, he must've felt his smile. "What are you smiling about?" he asked, clearly not even the beautiful scene they created together being able to help him get over his hurt.

"Erza took it well," the pink-haired boy answered, the hair touching his cheek tickling him as he moved his mouth. "She looked supportive, and I think she's not afraid of me anymore."

The childish delight with which he purposefully spoke apparently had the desired effect as he heard Gray chuckling lightly. His mood changed again as he spoke. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about us. What's the point if they'll just laugh at us, or even worse, what if they try to convince us that we don't know what we're talking about? Wouldn't it be better to just keep it a secret then?"

It seemed that his boyfriend was affected more than he was. Or maybe it was that Natsu already looked at that possibility as something that would happen, while the ice-make wizard held that small hope that it would go differently. Whatever the case, the person he was in love with was hurting, and he had to help him.

"Will anything they do change what you feel for me?" the fire mage asked, remembering the raven-haired boy telling him Ulrug told him something similar. The boy shook his head as best as he could, trapped there between the dragon slayer's shoulder and head. "Then does it matter? We'll tell them once we're both ready, and however they take it, we'll deal with it. There's no way anybody could ever convince me I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm stubborn enough to declare war on every person on Earthland if they try to convince me I don't know what I'm talking about," the pink-haired boy said, chuckling slightly, before turning serious and finishing. "Especially if they try saying anything about the person I love."

He felt some of the tension leave his boyfriend's body, a squeeze of his hand loosening slightly. "Me too," the ice-make wizard said quietly, but convincingly.

"I know," Natsu answered quietly. "And that's why I love you even more."

"I love you too," the raven-haired boy said. "And I'll never stop."

They would have enjoyed the silence, watching the beautiful show they created, but a giggle came from where the fire mage just remembered he put Happy. If this happened a few days ago, even if it happened yesterday, they would have probably jumped from one another. As it was, they just chuckled slightly with the cat.

Natsu hoped this was how things would stay forever. Just them, there, in a beautiful world covered in fire and ice. If only life would be that simple.

* * *

Lucy could only cry. She didn't even know why she was crying. Was it because Natsu rejected her? Was it because he was with someone else? Was it because that someone else wasn't even a girl? Was it because it was Gray?

No. It was none of those things. Those things hurt her, made her sad, but she wasn't crying because of them. She wasn't even crying because she was hurt. She was crying because she hurt her best friend.

The celestial wizard knew she was alone in the house with Erza. Did the red-haired girl know why she was crying? Was that the reason she was just sitting on her chair? Or was Erza unable to understand why she was crying, and didn't know how to console her?

The boys left some fifteen minutes ago, and she was just getting control of herself again. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times to clear her vision, and as it cleared, she saw the requip wizard sitting across from her, looking at her. The red-haired girl wasn't saying anything. She just watched.

"That was really stupid," Erza said after a few minutes of silent staring. "I understand why you laughed, but that was really stupid."

Lucy just nodded. They both knew it was stupid, but it needed to be said out loud.

The red-haired woman's expressions turned sad. "Are you all right?" she asked compassionately.

"I'll be fine," the blond girl answered weakly. "I just… I just can't believe I did that to him, to… them. I'll be fine," she repeated, "but I'm worried they won't be. Not after what I did."

"They'll be fine," the requip mage said confidently. "Maybe you hurt them, but they have each other, and together they'll get through this. If they're strong enough to be together, strong enough to tell others, they're strong enough to get through anything that happens to them."

"I hope you're right," Lucy mumbled.

"I know I am." The celestial wizard couldn't help but smile at how confident the red-haired girl was. "Now, come on, we have to make something for dinner. We haven't eaten since before coming here. I'm sure we're all hungry. I know I am. And what better way is there to apologize to Natsu than with food?" Erza finished, making her smile.

They made dinner with some of the things they brought with themselves (Erza probably had enough food to feed the whole village for a few weeks in her cart). The blond girl didn't think it would, but it felt nice. It distracted her from what had happened, and that gave her mind time to deal with everything. By the time they had food ready, she was still feeling guilty and sad, but it wasn't strong and fresh enough to make her cry.

Like they could smell the food from wherever they were (which wouldn't surprise her in Natsu's case), the boys came back just as the girls sat down to eat.

It was an awkward moment, but it wasn't as if any of them expected it not to be. The laugher the boys entered with died down as they saw the girls at the table, as they saw her. Coming to the table in silence, they pulled two chairs next to each other, as far away from her as they could, sitting on them. Maybe they didn't do it consciously, but they distanced themselves from her.

As they ate dinner, Lucy noticed the boys glancing at each other, small smiles appearing on their faces when they noticed the other looking at them. Even though they ate in silence, and it was awkward, the celestial wizard saw what the red-haired girl meant; they looked like the earlier incident didn't even occurred. There was no hurt on their faces, no sadness in their eyes, no anger for their friend that laughed at them. They really were strong.

"So…" the fire mage broke the silence. "What do you think, how many more lairs are there?" he asked, looking at the requip wizard.

"I don't know," Erza answered. "But I think we should form new teams. If there are any more of those fire-resistant monsters, I think it would be better for you and Gray, and Lucy and me to fight them. I won't be as worried about the two of you, as I was about Gray and Lucy."

That may have been the truth, but the celestial wizard got the feeling that her friend also didn't want Lucy to be in a team with either boy, probably not knowing how any of them would act. It was a smart decision, since the earlier events would surely impact their teamwork, and not for the better.

They talked about the job for the remainder of dinner. Lucy stayed out of it as much as she could, only answering the questions she was asked, all of them by Erza. The boys only looked at her when she was expected to answer, but it felt like they avoided her because they didn't know how to act around her, not because of any bad feeling towards her.

She concluded that they probably thought that her laughter was just the beginning. They must've thought that she was sorry for making Natsu cry, but that she still looked at the two of them together as something that shouldn't, couldn't happen. And maybe she did. Maybe she still couldn't figure out how two boys could be in a romantic relationship. Maybe she still thought they interpreted whatever feelings they had for each other wrongly. She would have probably tried to convince them that they were wrong, that that's not how things work, that they weren't in love, except, she didn't want to hurt them. She was their friend, and no matter what her own feelings were on the matter, she needed to support them. There would be others who'll think as she does, and they could tell those things to the boys. She would be there for them, no matter what. That was what a friend does.

Lucy decided to let the time heal the wounds she created, heal the distance she created between them. She would be there, show them that she supported them, but until they were ready, she wouldn't push herself into their lives.

After the dinner, they cleaned, spread their sleeping bags (the house didn't have any beds), and went to sleep. She was sleeping next to Erza on one side of the room, while the boys slept next to each other, holding hands, she noted. Happy crawled into Natsu's sleeping bag. It may have been weird to see boys holding hands, even weirder for those boys to be Natsu and Gray, but the meaning behind that gesture was clear. They wanted to know that the other was close even in sleep. The blond girl went to sleep that night, a battle in her mind between what her life taught her of how things work, and what these boys claimed to feel.

* * *

Gray woke up after he felt the light squeeze on his hand turn into a painful crush. He slowly opened his eyes, saw Natsu shaking and started to hear mutters coming from the boy. Immediately he knew that his boyfriend was having a nightmare. Maybe that day's events had something to do, since the ice-make wizard hadn't seen the dragon slayer having a nightmare this bad in some time, certainly not since they became a couple.

The raven-haired boy wanted to be there for the person he loved. He moved himself, the sleeping bag and all, closer to the boy that still had one of his hands clasped and put his other arm around him. As he was about to close it around him, he felt something soft. Happy, he realized. Gray moved his arm down, until he didn't feel the cat anymore, and used his arm to pull them as close to each other as they could go. Two sleeping bags were between them, so the ice-make wizard moved his head until their foreheads were connected and closed his eyes. He wanted the pink-haired boy to know that he would never again be alone, and that he wasn't alone then.

Whether it was Natsu's mumbling or the sounds Gray made as he moved himself, he didn't know, but he heard the celestial wizard stir. Only a few seconds later her voice was heard. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, but her voice was accusatory, like they were doing something indecent, which, now that he thought about it, was what he was doing must've looked like.

He didn't want to tell her that he really doubted that an intimate moment between them would be anything like what you would expect between a boy and a girl. They would probably jerk each other off, and use some sex toys, or something, maybe blowjobs, but there was no way one could enter the other. They both had dicks, after all. Wait, why was he thinking about that? It's not like that would happen any time soon. It's not that they didn't want it; they both probably did, but that felt too sudden, too rushed, like what they wanted was pleasure they could give to each other, and not the simple feeling of knowing they had each other. 'Stop it!', a part of his brain said, 'Answer the girl!'

After a few seconds of wandering what her question was (a hard part of his body distracting him), he answered in a quiet voice, opening his eyes. "He's having a nightmare."

Her eyes probably adjusted enough to see that both of them were still in their sleeping bags, and that Natsu's eyes were still closed, so she didn't question his answer.

"A nightmare? What kind of a nightmare?" she asked, sadness and curiosity in her voice.

"I don't know, but it's never good," the ice-make wizard answered truthfully, closing his eyes again. The pink-haired boy told him a few of his nightmare, and it really never was good. He told him how his every nightmare started with his family alive and well, so every nightmare must be like he just lost them again. It really was horrible.

"Will he be all right?" the celestial wizard asked with fear. It really felt good to talk to her like nothing happened that day, even if it was just for a while, just because she was worried about the pink-haired boy.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," he answered confidently. He knew his boyfriend would be able to get through anything, and now, even if that wasn't the case, he would have the ice-make wizard's help. They'll be fine as long as they have each other, but the same couldn't be said for whatever, or whoever, stood in their path.

It seemed like the blond girl was satisfied with that answer, as no other sound came from her.

Soon he felt Natsu's shaking and mumbling stop. With his eyes closed, he was confused as he felt the touch on his forehead disappear. He knew what was going on, as he felt hot lips on his cold ones. He got the message his boyfriend was trying to tell him: Thank you.

The touch returned to his forehead, and the intense heat coming off the fire mage felt soothing. They really just needed to know that they had each other. He felt the pink-haired boy wrapping his free arm around him.

They fell asleep like that: Their bodies close, one of their hand clasping the other's one, their free arms holding the other close to them, their foreheads connected, feeling each other's breath.


	19. Finishing the Job

**Chapter 19: Finishing the Job**

Erza was the first one to wake up the next morning. She found the boys in a position which only confirmed her previous conclusion: They belonged together.

Soon they all woke up and ate breakfast. The red-haired girl noted that the boys still looked like they waited for further insults from Lucy. Maybe they still saw that she was unable to come to terms with what was happening, even though she was obviously trying not to further hurt either of the boys. It would be mild to call the times they were together awkward, what with the celestial wizard spending most of her time quiet, looking at the floor, and the boys trying not to look at her.

Everything was soon normal, as they separated and headed into the forest to continue their search.

A time for lunch came, and they all gathered to eat. Neither team found a lair, or even a single monster. They would still have to spend a few days searching the woods, but it was possible, although unlikely, there was ever only a single one.

Again they went searching, until they meet for dinner. No lair was found the whole day.

It pained the requip mage to see the boys, two of her childhood friends, come meet them with smiles on their faces, only for them to drop at the sight of the blond girl. She would have probably threatened all of them to get their acts together and start talking it all out, but this time she had to stay out of it. She could only be there for support, while her friends had to work this out on their own.

After the dinner, they went to the mayor's house to report how that day's search went. Erza saw that the boys weren't giving any obvious signs of their relationship when people that didn't know about them were near. They had no problem holding hands, smiling at each other while her, Lucy and Happy were around, but if a villager was walking near them, they acted like friends would. It was odd, but they couldn't know how a relationship like theirs would be perceived by others, so it was probably a good idea they kept it hidden, even if it pained her to admit it.

The mayor was quite pleased with the news that there might not be any more monsters and he wanted to tell his villagers that it's safe to walk to the town, but the team convinced him to wait at least one more day. After the mayor agreed to that, the team went back to the house they got permission to use, and soon went to sleep.

The next day went by almost exactly as the previous one, the difference being the mayor telling his villagers that it was safe going along the path out of the village.

The third day after the boys said they were in a relationship, things slowly started to get back to normal. Whether it was because they couldn't continue like that, or because they figured that maybe Lucy wouldn't hurt them anymore, they started talking to her again. It was a few words at first, but by the time they sat down to eat dinner, it was almost like nothing even happened. The celestial wizard seemed to have been waiting for the boys to forgive her, seeing as she started joining in the conversations, and stopped looking at the floor so much.

Erza never thought that a simple gesture like holding hands could mean so much, but waking three days in a row with the boys holding each other's hand convinced her otherwise. The first night Lucy said Natsu had a nightmare and that was the reason the boys were practically holding each other in the morning, but the following two mornings after that, the red-haired girl woke up to them only holding hands and smiles on their faces as they slept.

The fourth day's search was as unproductive as those of the last three days. They concluded that they would meet the next day, having searched the whole forest. Agreeing that if they don't find anything, Natsu would walk through the part where Lucy and Erza searched, just a quick search to see if his nose detected anything, they went to sleep.

Just like how the boys holding hands as they slept had become a common thing, there was another thing the requip mage noticed. Before they went to sleep, they told everyone good night, but after they lied down, always facing each other, they would say good night to each other at the same time, their last word each day being the name of the person they loved. With that gesture, every night before she went to sleep, Erza was reminded of how much her childhood friends loved each other.

* * *

Gray sat at the table, next to Natsu, as they ate breakfast. It felt nice to be next to his boyfriend, to hold hands, to show others they were together, even if it was only in front of their teammates.

As far as the boys could figure out, Lucy still thought of them together as something that shouldn't happen. Was it because of who they were, or because she found it weird that two boys could be in a romantic relationship, they didn't know. But the celestial wizard didn't say anything about it for a few days, and the boys thought that must mean she wouldn't say anything. They were both glad their friend wasn't trying to convince them that they're wrong, and it was really good to talk to the blond girl like before.

After the breakfast was over, they again split up in their, by now, usual teams. Gray and Natsu were walking through the forest, searching for any signs of monsters. They kept walking over a large area, even though the dragon slayer's nose would have picked up any monsters nearby, but they wanted to be sure.

Erza and Natsu said that first lair didn't have enough monsters for them to be able to cover the entire forest, so it was very likely there was at least one more lair. If they didn't find anything today, they were sure they missed something.

They found it in the early afternoon, after eating lunch back at the house. This one had a lot more of white, snake-like creatures guarding the cave than the first one, Natsu said.

"How many more?" the ice-make wizard asked.

"I don't know. It's really hard to estimate how many of them there are, but there are at least five times more monsters here that at the first lair, and that's not even counting the ones inside," the fire mage answered.

"Well, we still have to kill them. This many won't be a problem for us, right?" the raven-haired boy asked smiling at his boyfriend.

With his characteristically big grin that showed his sharp fangs, the pink-haired boy answered, "Right!"

That one word finished their conversation, so they sprang into action.

Natsu never told him how he fought those monsters at the first lair, but Gray was now sure that was how. The fire mage had a sword in his hand, a sword made of his flames. He probably wanted to fight as Erza does, and he either liked it, or he wanted to become better using a weapon, so he still fought with it. The ice-make wizard, who started fighting by freezing enemies, after he saw how his boyfriend was fighting, created a sword with his Ice-Make Magic and continued fighting with it.

It took longer to kill all the monsters there, then it took them to get rid of those tens of thousands of monsters on their first ten-year job, but they enjoyed this fight a lot more. This felt like the fights they were in together before, fighting an enemy as equals, as two people whose only reason for life was the next fight they'll be in together. Maybe they finally realized that it's not just the fights they wanted to be in together, that there were other ways to be together, better reasons to live, but fighting was something they knew they had for a lot longer than knowing what these feelings were, so it would always hold a special place in their lives.

"I'll clear the cave," the dragon slayer said, moving towards the entrance. The raven-haired boy followed his boyfriend, and once they stopped, flames spread from the fire mage. It was a couple of minutes before either of them said anything. "There they are again," Natsu said. "Those fire-resistant ones. But there are more than one here."

"How many?" the ice-make wizard asked. He knew Erza and his boyfriend had a problem dealing with a single one, and if there were more than one in there, it would be problematic.

"Six," the fire mage said. "They're split in pairs, each pair in a different room. They should be far enough away from each other that we'll only have to deal with two at the time."

"Maybe we should get the girls?" Gray asked.

The dragon slayer nodded. "Yea, I think that would be best. We could deal with them, but this way would be safer. We'll wait for Happy to fly over us and tell him to bring the girls."

So, they waited for the blue Exceed, told him what was going on, and asked him to bring the girls to them. They waited near the cave entrance, sitting down and leaning on the stone. This was the first time they were alone (time they spent searching the woods didn't count as alone time), since Natsu ran from the house after Lucy said she had wanted to ask him out. It wasn't that they did anything while they were alone, that they didn't do with the girls and Happy nearby, but it felt nice to be alone with the person he loved, even if they were just sitting in silence.

That didn't last long, as the other team came running towards them. The girls stopped for a moment after seeing all the dead monsters around them, but they soon continued towards them as if nothing happened.

"More of those fire-resistant ones?" Erza asked, already knowing the answer.

"Six of them," the pink-haired boy answered, although girls knew even that. Happy told them everything. "We just thought it would be better to go in together."

"Let's go!" the red-haired girl said, starting inside.

Walking for some time in silence, they reached the room where the first two monsters were.

Was it because there were four of them, because they knew what to expect, or because Natsu took it seriously from the beginning, Gray didn't know, but the fire-resistant, snake-like monsters didn't even get the chance to attack before they were finished. The other four didn't do much better.

The lair was cleared. Just because they wanted to make sure there were no more monsters, they searched the remaining part of the forest together. The sun was still shining brightly as they returned to the village and reported that their job was done.

Since Warren's Compact Communication Lacrima was available, it became easier to talk to others, and the team gave the mayor their information. They told him that if some of the creatures were able to hide, or something like that, and if they return after the wizards are gone, to give them a call and they'll come back as fast as they could, and get rid of them, not taking any money since they were already payed for that job. The mayor thanked them, gave them what jewels he could (which was about half of what was promised in a reward, but none of them complained), and told them to stay at least one more night since they wouldn't be able to reach the town before dark.

Returning to the house, they packed what they could, getting ready to leave in the morning. They had an early dinner, and went to sleep, planning to leave with the first light of the day.

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes to see Erza standing next to her, shaking her. She looked around the room, and it looked like she was the last one to wake. Others were already packed and ready to go. She quickly got ready and packed (as fast as a girl like her could). The sun just came over the horizon as they exited the building they were in.

All the villagers were still asleep, nobody walking outside. The team started for the town from which they came. It was a few hours long walk. They agreed to have a breakfast somewhere on the way, making that their only pause.

Their journey back was just like their walk to the village. The boys were walking in front of the girls, and Happy was sitting on top of Erza's luggage.

It wasn't long until it was exactly like how they walked to the village, with the cat starting to giggle every now and then.

This time, the celestial wizard knew why the Exceed was chuckling. Now that she knew the boys thought they were in love, she saw the things she wouldn't normally notice. Natsu would whisper something to the ice-make wizard, or Gray would look at the fire-mage, a meaningful smile on his face.

She couldn't figure if it annoyed her more now that she knew why Happy was giggling, or if she was more annoyed not knowing. Whichever it was, she knew that once someone else figures out the boys' secret, they would get hurt. If it was someone who didn't mind hurting them, who wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought of the relationship the boys thought they were in, their 'love' wouldn't last. It was something so unnormal that Lucy was sure even the boys found it difficult to continue.

What the blond girl found weird, was Erza. The red-haired girl looked at the boys with a simple smile on her face. She looked like she thought that the boys should be together, but Lucy knew that couldn't be the case. They didn't talk about them since the day the boys said they were together, but there was no way anyone could think a same-sex romantic relationship could exist. That's just not how things worked. Erza really must not want to hurt them to go that far to hide her feelings.

Reaching the town, they bought the train tickets, and used the time they had before their train came to go have a lunch. Only after sitting on the train they figured it might not have been the best thing to do, considering Natsu's motion sickness.

They waited ten minutes in the train, and a minute before the train started the fire mage put his head on Gray's lap. Because they were in a compartment, away from the eyes of any other passengers, the boys didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed by it.

As the train started, the celestial wizard was surprised to find the pink-haired boy awake, not vomiting or retching.

It was half an hour into the ride, that the red-haired girl broke the silence. "Will you tell the guild now?"

"No," the boys said at the same time, their eyes, which were locked onto each other's, snapping to look at Erza.

"Not yet," the ice-make wizard explained.

"Well, once you do decide to tell everyone, just let me know. I'll beat anyone who has anything bad to say about you, into submission," the requip mage said, sounding sincere.

Did Lucy read her wrong? Was she really thinking that the boys should be together, even if it felt weird and wrong? Maybe there was something between the boys that she wasn't seeing, something the red-haired girl saw, something that convinced her to not care about how weird, wrong, unnormal it was, so the celestial wizard focused on the 'couple' across from her, determined to see what she thought must be there.

"I think that everyone's more afraid of Natsu at the moment," the raven-haired boy said, chuckling slightly, looking at the boy on his lap.

There it was! She thought she saw something in Gray's eyes as he said Natsu's name, heard something in his voice. It was like a dream. She saw it in that moment, heard it, but after that moment passed, it's was like she forgot it. All that remained in her mind was that it was powerful. She continued looking at the boys, waiting for it again, wanting to figure out what it was.

"They may be afraid of him, but he wouldn't hurt them. I on the other hand…" the unspoken threat in her voice was clear to them. There wouldn't be any help for anyone who would have anything bad to say about them.

"Thanks, Erza, but we don't want you to do that," the fire mage said, a sad smile on his face, looking at the red-haired girl, before he looked at the boy above him. "Our guildmates will have to deal with it on their own, just like they had to deal with the news of me being a demon. We won't care what they say or do." How could they not care!? "Our feelings won't change, no matter what they do. Gray and I know they won't!" the pink-haired boy finished confidently.

Again! This time it was in Natsu's eyes, Natsu's voice, as he said Gray's name. She wasn't able to figure it out in such a short amount of time, and she forgot it the next moment.

The smile on the requip mage's face said she believed that. Was that what the blond girl saw? Did she saw and heard their feelings for each other? Was that… love? Yes, that was it, she realized. What she saw, what she heard was love. It was so powerful, so pure, she wasn't able to recognize it before, but it was definitely love. If Erza saw this, if she realized it, it wasn't odd that she said what she did, that she acted the way she did.

Lucy believed that the boys found it difficult to continue this, that they were on the verge of admitting that what they thought they felt wasn't real, but that was wrong. They weren't having any second thoughts, they weren't even thinking of how this wasn't normal, they weren't thinking how this wasn't how things worked. They knew exactly what they felt, and nothing could convince them otherwise. This was what was right to them, this was what felt normal, this was how things worked for them. Whoever said otherwise was wrong.

That realization almost made her cry. She thought that someone would convince the boys that they were wrong? There was no way for that to happen. An emotion so pure, so powerful that it seeped out of them, how could anyone convince them that was wrong? The celestial wizard knew why Erza said she'd beat anyone who said anything bad about them. Even though it still felt wrong, she wanted to protect that emotion, protect what the boys felt.

Finally seeing everything clearly, the blond girl relaxed. She would support them, protect them, just like she knew their childhood friend will. What the boys felt was worth it, even if it felt weird to her at the moment.


	20. King's Announcement

**Chapter 20: King's Announcement**

Natsu was glad Gray and he were together. He didn't know if he could've survived that eighteen-hour train ride without his boyfriend. Just the thought of eighteen hours of motion sickness felt like torture, and he would have been bored on top of that. With his head on the ice-make wizard's lap, and his vision dominated by the face of the person he loved, he couldn't feel more content.

They had reached Magnolia four, five hours before the sun was up, and even if they wanted to go to the guild, they would've been met with locked doors. Lucy and Erza bid them farewell and went home, probably to get more sleep. With more than half the ride being awake, the pink-haired boy was far more tired than after their train ride to the job. The boys said good night to each other, and after a simple kiss (luckily, Happy was so tired he went straight home, so there weren't any giggles), each of them went to their own home, feeling happy and content with their lives.

It was a long and quiet walk back home, but the fire mage didn't mind it. It gave him time to think about everything that happened on the job, about the monsters they fought, about the nice mayor they met, about the beautiful scene he and Gray created, about the reactions they got when they told the girls they were together.

The dragon slayer knew they would never tell the guild, using words, that they were together. He thought they would be 'caught' in some compromising position like holding hands, but if everyone would be unable to even imagine two boys being in that kind of a relationship, would that even be enough? The pink-haired boy could imagine Gajeel or Laxus jokingly asking if they were together, but that would be meant as an insult, not a serious question, so he couldn't figure out how to tell everyone without outright coming out and saying it.

There was a way to introduce everyone to the idea, he realized. Once they were ready, they could ask Erza to tell Mirajane that they were in a relationship. The rumors would soon spread, and then even a single, small gesture would convince everyone. They would practically say it to everyone, and they wouldn't even have to say a single word.

Sure, that wouldn't make everyone's reactions different, but at least everyone would take it seriously. He didn't know if it would be better to say it openly, or have the rumors spread and have everyone laugh at them secretly, but either way, they still weren't ready for anyone else to know.

Reaching his house, he opened the doors as quietly as he could and entered. Seeing Happy sleeping in the first room, he quietly made for his bedroom. He got ready for bed and was soon asleep.

Maybe he did spend a good part of the ride awake, but in the eighteen hours they rode, he got enough sleep to wake up pretty early. When he exited the bathroom, he found the Exceed awake. Natsu made some breakfast for them (mostly himself, since the cat ate raw fish), and when they were both finished, not having anything better to do, they headed towards the guild.

Thinking they would probably be the first in the guild after Gramps and Mira, they entered the guildhall, and found that there were three guildmates who beat them to it. Maybe it would be odd, but their teammates were in the same position as they were, so it wasn't so strange.

Natsu and Happy went to join the rest of their team, the fire mage sitting next to his boyfriend, while the cat sat on the table.

"How long have you guys been here?" the pink-haired boy asked, looking at his teammates.

"Half an hour maybe?" the ice-make wizard answered, looking at the girls who nodded.

At that moment, a voice was heard from the second floor. "You're the only ones here?" Gramps asked, and not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Well, I guess you'll have to do. Go get packed, you're going to Crocus."

"Why?" Erza asked suspiciously. It was obvious that they weren't going on a job, so they were all curious as to why Gramps was sending them there.

"I don't know, but the king has asked every guild to send their representatives to Crocus as soon as possible, and since you're the only ones here, you'll have to do," the master said, and as if just remembering he added. "Please don't destroy anything…"

The dragon slayer would probably had needed that warning two months ago, but now he wasn't so careless with his power. "Can we have Mest take us?" he asked. "We just spent eighteen hours on a train, and I don't think any of us is ready to do that again."

The small wizard must've thought that it was Natsu who didn't want to go on a train, but it didn't matter to any of them, as he gave them permission. "You know where he lives, right?" Gramps asked.

He actually didn't, but Erza nodded her head.

"Good, then go."

Since they didn't know how long they would be staying, they all went home to pack, agreeing to meet at the place the red-haired girl said was Mest's house. It wasn't long before they met up, and everyone was surprised to see that the requip mage was wearing a backpack, not pulling her luggage on a cart behind her.

"What did you expect?" Erza asked them. "The less he has to teleport, the less strain it'll put on him," she finished, knocking on the door.

It took a few knocks before the man with a scarred face opened the door.

"What is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, clearly woken up by them.

"We need to go to Crocus," the red-haired girl said, ignoring the state the man was in.

"Use the train," Mest said, and began closing the door, although it was stopped by the requip mage's foot.

"The king has asked for representatives of every guild to come to Crocus, so we can't waste any time."

The man, although reluctantly, invited them inside, and told them to wait in his living/dining room for him to get ready.

After some time standing in the silence, the dragon slayer finally spoke. "What do you think the king wants with us?"

At that moment Mest returned and said, "I just hope it's important enough for you to wake me up so early." Saying that, he used his Teleportation Magic to start their journey. It was too great a distance to make in one jump, so their journey took almost half a day, and they made it to the capital around noon.

Because Natsu was in their group, their first stop was some place they could get lunch. While they were eating, they overheard other people talking about how the king has asked for representatives of all the guilds in Fiore to come to Crocus. Nobody knew why, but seeing as almost all of the representatives were already there (which the Fairy Tail wizards found odd), people hoped to learn the reason soon.

That was probably the reason why they ate so fast, and why they made their way straight to the palace after it.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" they heard a familiar voice call out. Stopping and turning, they realized they went by Sting and Rogue without even seeing the Sabertooth wizards. The master of Sabertooth probably realized where they were heading, as he said, "Oh. You don't have to go to the palace. We came here yesterday, and the guards told us that we'll know when we're needed." They were both eying Natsu strangely.

"What do you mean you came here yesterday?" Erza asked a question that was on everyone's mind. Since this was a request from the king of Fiore himself, Gramps surely told them as soon as he was asked. So, how come there was another guild that was told at least a day before.

Obviously the two wizards got what the real problem was. "They probably didn't want the destructive wizards of Fairy Tail here any longer then was needed," Sting said chuckling along with Rogue, looking at Natsu, everyone knowing what that look meant. The pink-haired boy's complete lack of any action soon stopped their laughter. He couldn't bring himself to answer their joke, as it only brought pain to him now.

The fire mage kept getting weird looks from the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, and he didn't know why. They spent a few seconds in an awkward silence, before Sting spoke up, the expression on his face one of embarrassment. "Natsu… we need to talk," he said, clearly bothered by something. Did Gramps tell the other masters about him being a demon? He didn't think so, but he couldn't come up with another reason for The White Dragon to act like that.

"What is it?" the fire dragon slayer asked, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Privately," Sting just said. "We have a room at a nearby hotel. Come on," he said, the Sabertooth wizards turning around and walking away. The pink-haired boy didn't know what that could be about, but these dragon slayers were persons he came to trust, especially after he got his memories back, and if they thought they should talk, he would listen to them.

"We'll meet at Bar Sun later, is that okay?" he asked the people he was with, and after they nodded, and he smiled at his boyfriend, he followed the Twin Dragons.

They entered a hotel five minutes later, and as they were heading towards their room, Sting spoke. "I'll have to ask you not to tell anyone what we're about to tell you," he said, his voice heavy, full of worry and definitely embarrassment.

Entering the room, the Sabertooth wizards sat down on the bed, while the fire mage sat on a nearby chair, facing them.

There was a short silence, before the white and shadow dragon slayers looked at each other, then turned to Natsu, and Sting spoke in a quieter voice than normal. "Apparently, we're soulmates."

Before the pink-haired boy had the chance to connect the word soulmate to his recent memories, he said, "Yea, so…?"

That clearly wasn't the reaction either of the boys sitting across from him anticipated, as showed by their surprised looks. "What do you mean 'Yea, so?'? We just told you we're mates and that's your reaction!?" Sting said, clearly expecting a very different reaction.

Natsu heard the words the blond dragon slayer said and spoke teasingly, "So, it's not just 'soul' mates?" By the look of horror on the white dragon slayer's face, he didn't mean to reveal it, or he didn't mean to reveal it in that way. Natsu just looked with amusement as the dragon slayers looked lost as for what to do or say next. Behind that amusement, the fire mage wondered why they would even tell him that they were together, that they were 'mates' in dragon terminology. Wait! That was it! Dragons!

With the Twin Dragons still searching for what to do or say next, the pink-haired boy spoke. "I think you wanted to tell me about Nydrai and Ulrug?"

As the boys across from him tried to process everything that happened, the fire mage thought about how he thought people would react to him and Gray being together. Could a reaction different from the one they were expecting affect them as much as it affected these two?

Well, it seems like the Twin Dragons weren't the only ones unable to process everything, as the meaning of Sting's words just now became clear to him. "Wait! You're mates!?" he asked, a lot more surprised than he should have been, probably sounding on the verge of laughter. He probably would have laughed, if he didn't think his laughter would be seen as him laughing at them, their feelings.

It was clear that he didn't need to laugh for Sting to interpret his reaction as him making fun of how they felt. "Yeah! You got a problem with that!?" he asked in an angry voice, rising from the bed.

"No, I have no problem with that," the fire dragon slayer answered seriously.

"And why not!?" Sting asked, still angry. The White Dragon obviously couldn't figure out if he should be angry because of the pink-haired boy laughing at them, or because he wasn't showing any reaction.

It was then that the shadow dragon slayer remembered why they came here in the first place. "You met the dragons?" Rogue asked.

"Yea, I did. I was on that job about a week ago," the fire mage answered. He still couldn't wrap his mind around these two dragon slayers being together. It wasn't because they were both boys, but because he always thought of Gray and himself together as an exception, something that just happened in their case. Apparently, he was wrong, and now that he knew that, it made much more sense that it was something others felt too, not just the two of them. "So, I'm guessing you didn't plan on revealing that you're together?"

It was Sting who answered. "No, we did, just… not like that." He was back to being embarrassed. "And that definitely wasn't the reaction we expected," he finished, looking at the pink-haired boy.

"Wait, am I the first person who knows about you?" the fire dragon slayer asked, and after they nodded, he continued. "Why me?" was all he could ask. They could have told him about the dragons without ever mentioning that they were together, so why did they want to say it?

"We, uh… we…" Sting couldn't say what he wanted to say, so Rogue spoke instead.

"We wanted to know how someone would react to it, and since we wouldn't see each other that much and it would be easier to tell you about the dragons, we decided to tell you." It didn't really sound like the shadow dragon slayer wanted to explain it, saying it as fast as he could, sounding like he just wanted to get it over with.

"I don't think you should judge how other people will react to it by my reaction," the pink-haired boy said. It would be nice if everyone would react to the two dragon slayers, and Gray and him being together like he just did, but that was very unlikely to happen.

"Why not?" Sting asked, sounding like his hopes have been crushed. They were probably both hoping that their relationship would be accepted by everyone, just as easily as Natsu accepted it.

* * *

Gray watched his boyfriend go after the Twin Dragons. As soon as he thought they couldn't hear him anymore, the ice-make wizard turned to the people he was with and spoke. "I'm gonna go after them. They didn't look like they wanted it, but if they want a rematch of the Grand Magic Games fight, we can't let them learn Natsu's secret."

Erza nodded. "You're right, especially if Natsu doesn't want them to know." Her voice turned threatening. "But if they just want to talk to him, stay out of it!"

That didn't mean he couldn't listen to their conversation, right? That's what Gray thought as he quietly approached the door the three boys entered a few minutes ago. He had to make sure not to get noticed by them, especially with their sharp dragon senses.

Putting his ear on the door he heard his boyfriend's voice. "I don't think you should judge how other people will react to it by my reaction," the fire mage said sadly.

React to what? The ice-make wizard knew he missed the important part, but seeing as he was eavesdropping, not getting caught was what mattered to him the most.

"Why not?" Sting asked defeated. The raven-haired boy hoped he could learn what they were talking about by further listening to their conversation, but it seemed someone had other plans.

"You can come in," the fire dragon slayer said. It took Gray some time to figure that he was talking to him. It seemed like he didn't follow them as secretly as he thought.

With nothing else to do (and his boyfriend inviting him), he entered the room, a look of embarrassment from being caught on his face, and closed the door behind him. Judging by the surprised looks on the Twin Dragons' faces, Natsu was the only one who knew he was listening to them.

Their faces soon turned into embarrassment, horror and anger, probably afraid he overheard them. "How long was he there?" the white dragon slayer asked the pink-haired boy.

"About ten seconds," the fire mage answered.

"Then he didn't hear anything," Sting said, looking relieved, but at the same time sounding like that fact explained something.

"Didn't hear what?" the ice-make wizard asked. Of course he was curious, but he would have stayed quiet if not for a look from his boyfriend that told him to ask the question. His cheeks burned, being put in such an awkward and embarrassing situation, but he trusted Natsu knew what he was doing, even if it made him uncomfortable.

The pink-haired boy looked at the faces of the Twin Dragons, knowing full well what the looks of disbelief were there because of, but he still answered like it was a normal conversation. At that moment, he was probably the only one who didn't find that whole situation awkward. "Sting just told me he and Rogue are together," he said simply.

Gray immediately knew what he was saying, what their previous conversation was all about. He was surprised, but not at the fact that they were together, but at the fact that there were others like he and Natsu, other boys that had that kind of feelings for each other. It made sense that there were others, but it still surprised him to find someone else.

"Why would they tell you that?" the ice-make wizard asked suspiciously. Rogue's face remained impassive since Natsu said he and Sting were together, while the white dragon slayer first looked at the fire mage angrily, then hearing Gray's reply, he was surprised.

"Apparently, they met the dragons," the pink-haired boy answered.

"You mean Nydrai and Ulrug?"

It was clear that the conversation the raven-haired boy was having with his boyfriend only confused the other two boys even further. After Natsu nodded, the Fairy Tail wizards waited for the Twin Dragons to process everything.

"Wait! You mean… with him...?" Sting asked after some time.

"Yea, Gray and I went on that job. They said we're soulmates," the fire dragon slayer explained, saying the word 'soulmates' in a way that it was clear the 'soul' part could be omitted.

Was it because they knew each other so well, or because they somehow communicated it, the ice-make wizard didn't know, but he knew that the fire mage was certain that he wouldn't mind revealing their relationship to the two dragon slayers.

Finally getting the whole picture, the Sabertooth wizards relaxed. It was clear they were nervous about this conversation, but meeting a couple just like them, probably helped get over any insecurities they had. Gray was certainly glad to know not only that there were others like Natsu and he, but that they were people this close to them. It didn't change his feelings in the slightest, but it made him think that maybe someday they'd be able to walk the streets of Magnolia, holding hands, not worrying about what others thought of that.

"Ulrug said that they just recently found the first soulmates that were of the same gender. That was you?" the shadow dragon slayer asked, sounding like he did not believe such a coincidence happened. As Rogue was saying that, Gray finally came to stand next to Natsu, putting one of his hands on his boyfriend's shoulder.

As they talked further, it was still embarrassing for the boys to talk about it (except for Natsu, who either didn't find anything awkward about talking about it, or just didn't care). The pink-haired boy said what he thought when he said others probably wouldn't react as he did. The Twin Dragons clearly knew now why that was, but the fire mage still told them about how the Fairy Tail wizards came out to Erza and Lucy. He told them how the celestial wizard reacted, and it was clear to Gray that that was exactly how the dragon slayers thought people would react when they told them.

"At least you're the master of Sabertooth, so you could always threaten to kick them out," the fire dragon slayer said jokingly. As Sting looked at him angrily, and other boys chuckled at it, there was a knock on the door.

The white dragon slayer went to open the door, and there was one of king's guards there.

"Hello wizards!" the guard said. "The king invites all the guilds' representatives, to come to the palace. His Majesty has an announcement to make to every guild and person in the kingdom!" finishing his invitation, the guard turned and left.

As that was what they all came to Crocus for, the boys headed for the palace. Gray was glad to know someone in the same situation as he and Natsu were. It was probably stupid, but knowing they weren't alone out there, made telling others seem easier. They would still react in the same way, but the knowledge that there was someone else out there, someone who would go through the same thing they would go through, knowing they would have someone else to talk to, even if everyone else stopped talking to them, made him want to reveal his feelings for the pink-haired boy.

They soon reached the palace, and there they found a lot of people standing in front of it. Many were wizards from other guilds, but there were people who clearly didn't belong to a guild, people who weren't wizards.

Bidding farewell, and promising to talk more another time, to the Sabertooth wizards, the boys went in search for the rest of their team. It wasn't long before they found them, waiting at the edge of the crowd.

"Are you okay?" Erza clearly wanted to ask something else at first, but as she saw that they returned together, she probably thought that there was a fight.

"We're fine!" Natsu answered happily, his fangful grin convincing the red-haired girl.

Before anyone could say anything else, silence fell over the crowd, the king and the princess entering the balcony from which the king would talk.

After the cheer that went over the crowd died down, the king spoke. "Welcome everyone and thank you for coming!" Another cheer went up.

"You know I've never been one for long and boring speeches, so I'll just say what I came here to say, and you can all go back to your homes."

There was a dramatic pause, before the king spoke in a loud voice, meant to be heard by every person gathered. "With the recent invasion from the Alvarez Empire, and with the defeat of Emperor Spriggan and Acnologia, I believe it is time to let the younger generation take the wheel and steer us into a bright future. That is why as of this moment, I, Toma E. Fiore, am no longer the king of Fiore. As the last act I do from the throne, please allow me to present to you your new queen, my daughter, Hisui E. Fiore." The princess… queen slightly bowed, but there was no sound from the stunned crown. "Now please go and spread this news to all parts of Fiore," the king finished, him and his daughter retreating back into the palace.

It took some time for the people gathered there to get what just happened, and as they started reacting, Mest got the Fairy Tail wizards out of there.

"Did I really have to wake up so early just for that?" he complained.

"It was a request from the king. We couldn't ignore it," the red-haired girl said.

"Still, we lost a whole day, just for a minute of his talking, saying he's abdicating…" Mest clearly wasn't pleased with that.

As they started their journey back to the guild, the ice-make wizard wasn't disappointed with going to Crocus. Sure, the king's announcement wasn't really all that important to him, seeing as how it didn't matter to him who sat on some throne, but he was glad for going there, for learning what he did from Rogue and Sting, and he knew his boyfriend was too.


	21. Specific Request and a Hint

**Chapter 21: Specific Request and a Hint**

Natsu wasn't particularly interested in going back to the guild when Mest teleported them in front of it. With the guild probably being full, and all the people in there still afraid of him, he didn't feel like going in there would be very fun.

"You don't need me to tell everyone, right?" the fire mage asked, referring to the king's, or previous king's, announcement.

"You're not going in?" Lucy asked. "We still haven't eaten, and it's been more than enough time from our last meal to make you hungry." She was right. The last time they ate was for lunch, and seeing as it was completely dark outside, that was a good amount of time ago.

"Nah, I'll just eat something at home," the pink-haired boy said, not wanting to be reminded that everyone was afraid of him inside.

"Hey!" Gray called out to him in a voice he usually used when they were arguing. "You still owe me a dinner!"

"What are you talking about?" the dragon slayer asked, confused by his tone and words. Looking straight into his boyfriend's eyes, he didn't notice his friends' surprise at the boys' conversation.

"After our last ten-year job. Don't tell me you forgot?!" the ice-make wizard exclaimed.

Wait, was he referring to their first date? Did he want to go on another one? But why not just ask? Their teammates knew about… Oh! Mest was still with them. That's why Natsu continued trying to get out of it, even though there was nothing he wanted to do more. "We've got more money on the first ten-year job then we could ever spend. Those few jewels for a dinner didn't even scratch the surface of what you've got!" the fire mage retorted. In truth, that wasn't a few jewels dinner. With the amount that they ate (especially Natsu), and as expensive as the restaurant was, the dinner cost a lot (thought it really didn't even scratch the surface of what they've got).

"It's a matter of principle. I won't pay for you to eat." The dragon slayer knew his boyfriend was glad to pay for the dinner, just as he was glad to have his dinner payed for by the person he loved. This wouldn't be him paying back for the dinner they had, this would be him paying for a meal for his boyfriend.

"Fine!" the pink-haired boy said, sounding defeated. "But I'm not going in there," he said, pointing at the guild. "I still don't like the looks I get." This time he saw Mest looking away from him, probably feeling guilty he was afraid, feeling guilty he was unable to help himself. "Pick some other place." To anyone who didn't know about them (everyone who didn't even think that they could be together), this sounded like a usual Gray-Natsu conversation, but he saw that the girls and Happy knew what was going on.

"Great!" the raven-haired boy said, flashing a victorious smile, a smile that told the dragon slayer how much he liked the idea of going on another date, but that told everyone else he just won an argument.

"Just go…" Mest said irritated. He had been acting that way ever since the king made his announcement, still not getting over the fact that he had to wake up so early.

"Come on, ice princess," the fire mage said, trying to make it sound as teasingly as it used to be, but being unable to talk to his boyfriend like a rival anymore. Not hearing anyone (Mest in particular) complaining about the nickname not sounding as genuinely insulting as it did before, the pink-haired boy decided that he still sounded like his usual self to everyone but himself and the boy that started walking after him.

The raven-haired boy soon walked in front of him, continuing their act while they were still near the guild. Apparently, the place they were going to eat required them taking a lot of dark alleys, and Natsu, not being the one to miss an opportunity, hurried to catch up to his boyfriend and hold his hand. They smiled to each other as they walked like that.

Getting close to the place they were going to, they had to get out of the dark alleys and walk through the streets that had lamps in them. They let go of each other's hand but continued walking side by side. They soon reached the restaurant they had their first and only date in. It wasn't full, and they quickly found an empty table and ordered food.

The fact that they knew each other for so long gave them a lot of things to talk about. It was always fun to remember jobs they did, fights they got in, brawls at the guild. Since they told each other how they felt, there were other things they learned about one another. The jobs they did without the other, the things they did before Lucy came to the guild and they became teammates, basically every embarrassing thing they did, things a person would never reveal to their rival. They had no problem revealing those things to their boyfriend.

As close as they felt to each other, learning even more about the other brought them closer. Natsu would talk about Igneel, something he rarely did before, not just because he wanted to keep those memories for himself, but because he couldn't remember a lot of specific events, and now with everything back, and the person he wanted to share everything with, he didn't feel like hiding it. Gray would talk about his childhood, about him growing up, about his life before Deliora came.

This time Natsu payed for the dinner, and just like the last time, they headed for Gray's apartment. They took as many dark alleys as they could, wanting to hold each other's hand, but not wanting anyone to see them.

Just as they were about to leave the alley near Gray's apartment, just as they would each head their way, Natsu stopped, pulling Gray by his hand, making him turn, and before the raven-haired boy could figure out what was going on, pressed his hot lips on his boyfriend's cold ones. Their kisses were still simple, no tongue involved, not a sexual kiss, but a romantic one, one that they used to show each other how they felt. Maybe in a world where men boasted with how many women they had sex with (and some women, Cana for example, boasting about how many men they had), people would expect a relationship to progress faster than theirs was, but without using any words, they agreed to take things slowly. Natsu was inexperienced in dating someone, this being his first relationship, and even if Gray had a relationship, or more, before, which the pink-haired boy couldn't know, he was definitely never with another boy. It made sense to take things slow, take the time to explore what they had.

They separated. Natsu knew he wouldn't mind feeling those cold lips on his hot ones the whole day, each day, but this was enough. This kiss would be enough to last him until he'd get another one. It would give both of them the strength they didn't have before, and it'll make them live and fight for the moment when their lips would connect again.

"Good night, Gray."

"Good night, Natsu."

They said to each other at the same time. Maybe it wouldn't be the last thing they would say that day, but they started saying that to each other when they knew they wouldn't see each other before they went to sleep.

Natsu squeezed his boyfriend's hand, smiling at him, and then releasing it, they exited the alley, the ice-make wizard heading right, the pink-haired boy going left.

The fire mage didn't even realize how happy he was until he entered his house, and Happy, giggling, asked. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes, we did," the dragon slayer answered, realizing he had a wider grin on his face that ever before. He wore a huge smile very often, but he was smiling so broadly that his cheeks hurt. He didn't care. He needed to show how happy he was, even though his blue friend was the only one present.

The Exceed didn't ask anything else, whether because he was respecting Natsu's privacy, or because he felt awkward in that situation, the pink-haired boy didn't know. Come to think of it, Sting, Rogue and Gray were also embarrassed when they were talking in the Twin Dragons' room. Why that was so, he couldn't figure out, but that didn't matter, because they all talked, and that was the important part.

Natsu saw that Sting and Rogue expected others to react to them being together just like Lucy did. It wasn't that odd since he himself expected that kind of reaction, but it was still hard knowing that was what Gray and he, and the Sabertooth wizards could expect once they tell others. At least the couples would now know that they weren't alone.

"Are we taking another job tomorrow?" Happy asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He wasn't planning on taking one, but since he didn't like to go to the guild these days, there wasn't much to do in Magnolia. "I don't know. Why? Is there something you want to do?" Natsu asked.

"Can we go fishing?" the cat asked hopefully. "We haven't gone fishing in a long time." It was true. The last time they went to fish together was before the invasion, and they usually fished together at least once a week.

"Sure," the fire mage answered, wanting to let his friend know that he wasn't distancing himself anymore. "Can we go in the afternoon?" he asked, remembering that Gray and he agreed to go to the guild in the morning together. That was the time when there weren't that many people there, and Natsu didn't want to completely abandon going to the guildhall.

"Are we going to the guild in the morning?" the Exceed asked and continued after the dragon slayer nodded. "Maybe you could invite Gray to come with us."

The pink-haired boy hoped he could, but he didn't want to ask. Fishing was something the two of them rarely invited others to. It was something they did to get away from everyone and everything. "You don't mind?" he asked, not sure if Happy offered that just to be polite.

"No," his blue friend answered genuinely. "If you're together, then you should be together." the cat said, like the fire mage just asked a stupid question.

"Then tomorrow, first we get Gray, go to the guild to see if there's anything interesting going on, and then we go fishing. We can go before lunch and have fish for lunch," the dragon slayer said happily.

"Aye, sir!" Happy answered, just as joyously.

They spent an hour or two talking, playing various games (most of them they came up with, and would probably seem stupid to anyone else), before getting ready for bed and going to sleep.

For the first time since the invasion, Natsu woke up, knowing he had a pleasant dream, even if he didn't remember what the dream was about. He didn't know if it was because of how happy he felt from everything that happened the day before, or because of the plans they made for that day, but he didn't care as long as he didn't have a nightmare.

He got out of bed, not as early as the day before, but still a little earlier than he usually did. Waiting for his blue friend to wake up, he went to the bathroom and got ready for the day.

The fire mage had to wait for the cat to wake, but he didn't mind. After Happy woke up they ate and started for Gray's apartment.

"Aren't you afraid people will figure out what's going on between you and Gray since you're going to the guild every day together?" the Exceed asked as they walked through the forest.

"Would you believed that we were together if we didn't tell you?" the dragon slayer asked, and after the cat shook his head, he continued. "I don't think anyone has ever heard of something like this. Not that it didn't happen before, but those people were probably afraid of how others would react and either didn't tell anyone, or they just ignored what they felt. Either way, I don't think anyone in the guild would even seriously consider that Gray and I were dating."

They continued in silence for some time, Happy probably thinking of what he just learned meant for his friend and his friend's boyfriend. "Don't worry, buddy," he said reassuring to the Exceed. "We aren't like those people. We'll tell everyone when we're ready, and if they have any problems with it, they'll have to deal with them."

Was it his words, or his joyful expression that finally made cat put a smile on his face, it didn't matter. It was enough that he, and the people next to him were happy.

Reaching Gray's apartment, they knocked on his door, and soon the ice-make wizard came out, fully dressed. Natsu still couldn't understand how it took him so long to notice the raven-haired boy's stripping habit changed, considering it wasn't strange for the boy in front of him to lose his clothes before even reaching the guild.

"Good morning," the fire mage said.

"Morning," the ice-make wizard answered, looking as joyful as Natsu felt. He knew Gray wasn't a morning person, but that didn't seem to be a problem these days. The dragon slayer himself always loved mornings, and even though he arrived at the guild pretty late every day, he was actually one of the first persons to wake in Magnolia. There was only one thing he wanted more in the morning than a walk in the forest, and that was to see his boyfriend.

"Good morning, Gray!" Happy greeted excitedly. The cat probably couldn't wait to go fishing.

As they started for the guild, the pink-haired boy explained their plan for the day to which the ice-make wizard happily agreed.

"But I don't have a fishing pole," the raven-haired boy said, looking a little embarrassed.

"We can fix that on our way back," the dragon slayer replied. "It's not like you don't have the money for it."

"Yeah, you're right," Gray answered, chuckling lightly.

They reached the guild, and Natsu considered kicking the doors open, but decided against it. People were still afraid of him, and something like that would scare the shit out of everyone which, although fun, wasn't something he wanted to do right then.

He opened the door, and just like the last couple of time silence filled the room. That didn't surprise him one bit. What did surprise him was the number of people in the guildhall, more people than should be there. He was even more surprised when all the people that were watching them enter turned to the people next to them and started whispering.

"Do you think it's true?"

"No! She was out for revenge."

"But it could be true."

"Did you ever hear of anything like that?"

"This doesn't prove anything."

"She just did it for Lucy."

"Maybe it's all their idea."

"I wouldn't put it past them."

"But what if it's not a joke?"

"It can't be anything but a joke."

"They'll all probably laugh at us later."

And so the conversations went, Natsu getting the feeling that the people entering the guild were the topic. With how everyone started when the boys entered, and the looks they kept getting, he just couldn't think otherwise. He forgot everything as a voice was heard above all the hustle and bustle in the room.

"Gray, Natsu, can you come to my office?" Gramps said, or more like yelled, from the second floor.

Not knowing what was happening, they headed for the old man's office, while Happy flew to Erza and Lucy, the only people who weren't talking. They were both surprised to find Juvia in Gramps' office, looking at them with an expression that screamed "I told on you!".

So that's what it was! She must've figured it out based on her conversation with Gray and told everyone. But why did Gramps call them in his office with her there?

As soon as they closed the door to the office, the small wizard spoke. "Gray, Juvia told me what happened between you." He didn't know? Why was he there then? "And Natsu, I know what happened between you and Lucy." He did know?

The boys in love looked at each other, both of them confused.

Gramps continued talking in a disappointed voice. "Boys, that's not how you should treat girls," he said, shaking his head.

Will he be the first one to tell them they couldn't be together? Natsu thought that if anyone would support their decision, allow them to decide for themselves, it would be their master, the person who said "Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail mages. Apparently, that statement didn't matter in that situation. But even though it happened sooner than either of them expected, they were ready to protect what they believed in, what they felt, even if they have to protect it from Master.

"Gray, Juvia said there was someone else you loved, and I want to meet her." Wait! He didn't know? "And Natsu, you kept your relationship a secret, and hurt Lucy in that way. That's why, if nothing else, you should always tell the truth. I expect from you both to bring the girls to the guild, but first you have to apologize to the girls you hurt. There's a job that requested specifically for Gray and Juvia. You'll take it," Gramps said, looking at the mentioned wizards. "By the time you get back, I expect she knows how sorry you are for what you did," he finished, looking at the ice-make wizard.

The pink-haired boy couldn't believe it. Gramps didn't know that they were together, but he was sending his boyfriend on a job with a girl that stalked the ice-make wizard. She was always so close to him that the dragon slayer just assumed that they were as good as together, and now they had to do a job together!?

"And you Natsu, you'll stay here and find a way to apologize to Lucy." Gramps looked determined to have them do what he said they should. A thought flashed through Natsu's mind. Maybe he did know, and this was him trying to separate them, maybe try and convince them while they weren't together? Then there were things like "I expect you to bring the girls to the guild…" which convinced him that the small wizard didn't know.

However disappointed he was with them, there was one thing the fire mage couldn't accept, either from Gramps or from anyone else. "I'm sorry Gramps," the fire mage said, and before the old man could answer that he wasn't the one he should be apologizing to, the pink-haired boy continued. "but I don't think that my love life is anyone else's business. Maybe it did hurt Lucy, but some things are private, and I won't announce it to everyone that I'm in a relationship, and with whom I'm in a relationship, just as I don't expect anyone else to do that. If I do say something to someone, it'll be because we, as a couple, decided to do it, and not because someone else said we have to."

It seemed that his outburst left everyone stunned, that being caused by his words as much as by his tone. Gramps and Juvia were looking at him with huge eyes, and he felt Gray next to him watching him. It took them a few seconds to come back to their senses, and for the small wizard to speak. "Of course, I understand." he said. "Nevertheless, you should apologize to Lucy."

"I know I should," the dragon slayer answered. "I already did, and I can't do anything else. She needs time, not a few words, now. But she'll be fine," he said confidently.

Gramps nodded, then turned to Gray. "You've got to go on this job. You two were requested, so you have to go."

The raven-haired boy just nodded, still looking stunned by the fact that Natsu talked back to their master.

Their conversation ended soon after that, after the small wizard explained what the job was. It didn't sound difficult at all, and it definitely didn't require two wizards, much less ice-make and water mage specifically, but since that's what the client requested…

The boys, followed by the blue-haired woman with stalkerish look in her eyes, went back to the main hall, and while Gray went for the guild doors, Natsu went to the table where the rest of their team sat.

"What was that about?" Lucy asked with a questioning look on her face, the same look on Erza's face.

"I'll tell you later," the fire mage answered. Then turning to Happy he said. "Come on buddy, we're going fishing."

He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like everyone would really think he and Gray were together if he left with him. Was it that he thought that Gramps knew, or was it all the whispering he was hearing in the guildhall? Whatever it was, he didn't intend to let his boyfriend go on a mission without saying goodbye. He didn't like to think that he was using his blue friend to get a reason to leave, but he saw no other way, and they would go fishing once Gray left.

"Aye, sir!" the Exceed answered, and they left, leaving the girls surprised and confused. They made their way to the apartment they were at just a few moments ago, with the pink-haired boy explaining what was going on, and the cat saying he understood.

* * *

Lucy was glad that she knew Natsu wouldn't return anytime soon, and when she judged he went far enough, she spoke. "That was really stupid," the celestial wizard repeated the words the red-haired girl said to her just a week ago. This was the first time none of the dragon slayers were close enough, and the noise in the guild would make their conversation private.

"I know," Erza answered, knowing exactly to what her friend was referring to.

Lucy knew it was partly her fault, but still, it was Erza who said it.

After the boys left yesterday, they entered the guild. Everyone knew that Master sent them out by a request from the king himself. They explained what had happened, and among many different reactions, there was someone who asked.

"Where are Natsu and Gray."

Probably not even thinking about it, the requip mage answered, "They went on a date." Their guildmates would probably have brushed it off as nothing more than a weird phrasing, or Erza's weird sense of humor, but as the girls realized what the red-haired woman just said, they both froze, and it didn't go unnoticed by the people looking at them.

The people in the room went crazy, demanding to know what they were talking about, asking Erza what kind of a sick joke that was. That was the first time Lucy realized just how mild her reaction had been. All the words they had to hear just because they suggested such a thing were worse than anything she ever heard, and she knew that the boys would have to suffer much more.

Since she couldn't allow their guildmates to know about them, especially since the boys asked them not to tell anyone, the celestial wizard explained how she asked Natsu out, and he refused. She said Erza was just trying to get even.

With that said, most of the people who heard Erza's statement yesterday, came to the guild this morning, like they wanted to make sure it wasn't true. By the whispers she heard and the looks the boys received as they entered the guild, she knew that most of their guildmates believed her, believed the red-haired girl was just out for revenge.

The blond girl only hoped that no one would ask why the requip mage was angry at Gray, since he was mentioned too. And no one did. At least not to her knowledge.

It was a good thing the boys were in the guild for such a short a time, or someone would've notice something. The fact that Natsu didn't leave with Gray but with Happy certainly helped persuade others that it was all for revenge.

"Do you think they'll be all right?" the celestial wizard asked. "I mean, you saw how they reacted to the suggestion of it. Once they hear the truth, they could only react even worse.

"There's nothing we can do about it. They probably already expect no one would react in a good way. We'll be there for them, but we can't do anything else," the red-haired girl answered.

After a short pause, the requip mage spoke again. "I just hope that with the whole demon thing, and now this, the wizards here won't push Natsu too far. He's already spending as much time away from the guild, from his guildmates as he can, and it wouldn't take much to make him stop coming here altogether. Gray would be with him, but we're all supposed to be his family, we're all supposed to stay with him."

What was the blond girl supposed to say to that? It wasn't just that she had some feelings she would never be able to explore, but Natsu was the person that brought her to Fairy Tail. He was the one who brought her into that life, into that family, and the thought of him leaving, practically being forced out was heartbreaking. If that really happened, she wasn't sure she could stay there, stay with the people who thought that learning that one of their family members is a demon, and loves a person of the same sex changed him so much that they couldn't accept him anymore.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Lucy said, praying to anyone out there that that really doesn't happen.


	22. Being Apart

**Chapter 22: Being Apart**

Happy and Natsu were fishing at their usual fishing spot. They were there for about an hour, coming right after the fire mage said goodbye to his boyfriend. It was an hour spent in silence.

"Are you all right?" the Exceed finally asked, unable to take any more of the silence. The happy expression on his friend's face that was there the day before after coming home, and today in the morning, wasn't there anymore.

"Yea, it's just that Gray isn't here and…" the dragon slayer said sadly. "You don't think Juvia will try anything, do you?" he asked worriedly.

Happy knew why he was asking that. His friend told him the blue-haired woman was following Gray even before she joined Fairy Tail. The cat assumed they were always near each other because they were together, but the fact that the ice-make wizard didn't feel anything for that woman made it clear that the woman was stalking his friend's boyfriend in the least, but more likely obsessed with him. Of course that the two going on a job alone would worry the pink-haired boy.

"Don't worry, Natsu," the Exceed said comfortingly. "Gray won't let her do anything." It was more likely she'll end up as an ice statue if she tried doing anything the raven-haired boy wouldn't like.

"I-I guess you're right," the fire mage said, not really sounding convinced. Happy knew the reason for it. However much the ice-make wizard wouldn't allow her to do anything, there were times when he couldn't stop her, like when he was asleep for example.

"How long will they be gone anyway?" the cat asked, not knowing anything about the job.

"A day or two? It's a stupid job anyway. Finding some plants, in a forest in which some monsters may be. I don't know why anyone would request those two for a job, why anyone would offer so much jewels to have two wizards do a job that even a single one could, but at least it's close, so maybe they'll be back today," the dragon slayer ended, turning his voice from depressed to hopeful.

"You really love him, don't you?" Happy asked, his voice serious. It wasn't a question he needed an answer to. He knew what the answer was. The fact that Natsu wasn't distancing himself from others, how happy he was with Gray near, how happy he came home just the day before, that said more than words could.

"More than anyone else," the pink-haired boy answered, then turned to his blue friend, looking guiltily. "I love you too, buddy."

"I know Natsu, but it's not the same. I love Carla, and I know what you mean," the cat replied, knowing how it felt and how it was impossible to put it into words. The fire mage looked content, knowing that his friend understood him.

"Now that you mentioned Carla, maybe you should do something about it," the dragon slayer said, turning the conversation away from Gray and Juvia.

"But I am! I'm offering her fish, but she doesn't want to accept," the Exceed said, not knowing what else he could do.

"What if we train the transformation magic we learned from Mira? If you learn it properly before she and Wendy return, I'm sure she'll be impressed. They should be back any day now, but I know we can do it before they get here. And then, instead of offering her fish, why don't you ask her to go eat in a restaurant with you?" the pink-haired boy offered.

"You think that would work?" Happy asked skeptically. He knew he'd rather have a fish than be invited to go eat in a restaurant.

"I'm sure it will. Now why don't I continue to fish while you train? Just imagine what you'd like to look like in a human form, and then remember what Mira thought us," the fire mage said.

The Exceed still wasn't really convinced, but if his friend thought it would work, then he'd try it. He handed his fishing pole to Natsu, and went a few steps away, trying to imagine what he'd like to look like. He remembered Mirajane saying that they had to know every detail, so he spent almost half an hour deciding on every detail. Starting from his face, his hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, where everything was, down to his body. He created a clear picture of what he wanted to look like, the height he'd be, the length of his arms, legs… every single detail.

Happy spent another half an hour memorizing the picture of himself he created. Even if he didn't succeed today, that was still something he would try and learn, something he would strive for and for that he'd have to have a clear image.

When he was finally convinced he wouldn't forget any detail, he focused hard on the image he had created. He imagined himself as that person, and released his Magic Power into it, shouting, "Transform!"

The pink-haired boy looked at him, but there was nothing to see. The cat didn't transform, but he wasn't discouraged. By Mira's explanation, this would be considered advanced level. He was transforming into another species.

They continued their morning like that, Natsu fishing and Happy trying to transform.

* * *

Gray couldn't believe he had to do this! Why did someone request the two of them for such a stupid job? What made it even worse, was the fact that Juvia didn't seem angry with him anymore. She was back to her old stalkerish self, squeaking "Gray-sama!" at least once a minute.

"Gray-sama, Juvia forgives you," she said for the hundredth time, following after him. What was wrong with her!? On their two-hour train ride there, he hadn't said a word! The few things he said as they had lunch were to the waiter. Did she think that repeating that sentence over and over again would make any difference?

"Gray-sama, Juvia forgives you," the blue-haired girl said again, only a minute later.

The ice-make wizard couldn't take it anymore. He turned around angrily, and spoke, a little too loudly. "Will you stop that!?" he asked making the girl visibly jerk. "I'm sorry I did that, but everything I told you still stands. No matter what you do I'll never love you."

"Juvia knows Gray-sama will come to her when Gray-sama gets rejected," she said confidently. There was seriously something wrong with her. She was angry at him for how he kept her as a fallback if he were rejected, and now she was waiting for it!?

He thought he wouldn't give up on Natsu if he thought he had any chance to be with him, so he said to her, in hopes of making her realize she had to move on, "I'm with someone else." The girl in front of him clearly didn't get what he was talking about, so he explained. "I'm dating someone else."

Finally understanding, she asked angrily. "Who is it?"

Gray answered her calmly. "Maybe Natsu and I fought a lot in the past, but even then I would've agreed with what he said. My love life isn't anyone else's business. If you want to know who it is, you'll have to wait until we decide we're ready for others to know," he said, ending any further discussion by leaving for their client's house.

By the time he reached the house, the blue-haired woman was walking a few steps behind him in complete silence. The ice-make wizard couldn't figure if this was better than before, but at least he hoped she wouldn't make any further advances. He knew he wouldn't appreciate Lucy's advances on his boyfriend, and Natsu surely wouldn't want anything like that from Juvia.

The raven-haired boy reached the door and knocked, surprised when a young woman, no older than him, opened the door.

"It's you!" the woman squeaked.

"We came for the job," Gray said, ignoring her comment which clearly said she knew who they were.

"I think it would be faster for me to come with you, than to explain what plants I need," she said, not introducing herself, not calling them inside, not even greeting them. "Besides, I want to spend some time with you."

The woman was clearly at least as crazy as Juvia, but that wasn't a surprise. Most of the people who hired the most destructive guild in Fiore were crazy. "Sure," the ice-make wizard said indifferently. If it meant that he would have to spend less time on that job, and that he'll get home to Natsu sooner, he really didn't care why she requested them, nor what her "I want to spend some time with you" meant.

The woman clearly expected smiles or something, but Gray didn't care. He had to do this job because this woman requested he be one of the people to come, and the job wasn't to smile, so he didn't plan to force it on his face just because of her.

"So, where are we going, Mrs. …" the raven-haired boy said, feeling uncomfortable standing in silence with that woman staring at him.

"Oh! How rude of me! I never introduced myself. I'm sorry. You may call me Bella," the browned-haired girl said extending her hand. As the ice-make wizard shook her hand, she asked, "You don't mind me calling you Gray, do you?"

"I don't," he answered. He definitely didn't want to be called Mr. Fullbuster.

As the woman released his hand, she headed straight for the blue-haired woman, closing the door behind her. "And you must be Juvia," Bella said, offering her hand. When Juvia didn't respond, the brown-haired girl spoke up. "What's got you so depressed?" she asked concerned, then continued in the same voice. "You two didn't have a fight, did you?"

Gray immediately knew what the girl meant and spoke up to set things straight. "Let's get one thing clear," he said frustrated. "Juvia and I aren't together, never have been and never will be." He was sick of people thinking that, especially after he learned that that was one of the reasons Natsu didn't confess sooner.

Bella clearly looked disappointed. Was that the reason she wanted them to come? Well, it didn't matter either way. "Shall we go?" the girl asked and started out of the town without waiting for an answer.

Leaving him no other choice, the raven-haired boy went after her, and he heard Juvia shuffling after them.

The woman looked like she didn't want to walk side by side with them, since every time Gray would speed up to catch up to her, she would also speed up. They reached the edge of the town before Bella slowed down and allowed him to catch up, Juvia still walking a few steps behind them.

"You know," the woman began disappointedly. "I didn't really need anyone to go to the forest with me. There are monsters there, but I went there plenty of times by myself, so I would probably be safe."

"Then why issue a job? And you even called two wizards, us specifically," the ice-make wizard asked surprised.

"I have something I want to ask someone, but I can't ask anyone in the town. You'll be gone before the day ends, so I knew you wouldn't tell anyone in town," she explained.

"Then why do you sound disappointed," Gray asked, an idea as to why she sounded disappointed in his mind.

He knew what was coming, and his cheeks began turning red, even before the girl spoke quietly, clearly embarrassed. "I thought you were in love."

"Because you saw how she was acting in the Grand Magic Games?" the raven-haired boy guessed. The girl just nodded. "You can still ask me what you wanted to. Maybe I'm not in love with Juvia, but there is someone out there that I love." Even though he was feeling very self-conscious, his cheeks burning, he still felt the blue-haired woman turning her eyes to him, that angry stare directed at the back of his head.

"Really?" Bella asked suspiciously, looking ahead, not noticing just how awkward he felt talking about it.

"Yeah," Gray answered. They walked in silence for some time, and as she wasn't saying anything else, he spoke. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

They walked a minute or so in silence, before she finally spoke. "My father died recently."

"I'm sorry," he said to her.

She looked at him, a small smile on her face. "Thank you, but it couldn't have been helped," Bella said, before she continued her story. "My mother died from an illness when I was very young, and since the doctors said I could have the same illness, my father was very protective. I would rarely be allowed out of the house, be checked for signs of illness once a week… so I didn't experience much in my life. I never hated him for it. I know why he did it, but since his death, I felt like I've been freed. I still enjoy small things like walking through the forest or going to pick plants I need for tees and medicine I make." The story she was telling was tragic, but there was a smile on her face.

"But lately I've been thinking. What would happen to me if I do get the illness my mother had? She had been bedridden almost a year before she died, and she had my father to take care of her. I don't have anyone, no parents, no siblings." Bella walked a few more steps in silence, before she stopped and turned to the ice-make wizard, looking him in the eyes. "How do you fall in love?" the brown-haired woman asked, apparently completely oblivious about anything regarding the subject.

For his part, Gray didn't know how to answer that question, but he tried his best. "It's not something you decide, it just happens," he said, and before he could continue, Bella grew too awkward looking at him and talking about it, so she started walking again, looking ahead.

"How does it happen?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't think anyone does. It just happens," the raven-haired boy replied, knowing full well that the girl wasn't the only one embarrassed by this conversation.

"You said you were in love," she pressed. "How did it happen for you? How did you know you loved someone?"

Gray was aware of Juvia listening to their conversation. She was probably hoping he would say something which would make her realize who was her 'love rival', already planning how to get rid of the person he was dating. That's why he paid attention to what he was saying and how he was saying it.

"There's someone I've been close to for a long time. We knew each other, maybe you could have even called us friends, but neither of us considered the other more than that. I don't know how or when exactly it happened, but I found myself thinking I would do anything for them. I would tell that person my fears, embarrassing events in my life, things I wouldn't tell anyone else. They just had to ask, and I would do it. After that, I knew what I felt. I can't tell you how it feels because I don't think I could describe it, but I know that every person would know what it is once they felt it. Once you know the person deep enough, and you feel that for them, you'll know what it is without a shadow of a doubt."

Maybe it wasn't an answer like she expected, but Bella seemed content with it.

The ice-make wizard was glad that after that, the topic of love didn't come up anymore. They went on with the job, talking about other things, things like his previous jobs, the life in the guild, the Grand Magic Games. As Bella slowly gathered the plants she needed, Gray saw that no wizards were needed for that job. There wasn't a single monster anywhere. Add to all that the fact that they finished the job in only a few hours, hours before the sun would set, the raven-haired boy couldn't be happier.

They accompanied the girl back home, Juvia hadn't said a word the whole time, and as Bella wanted to pay them for the job, Gray just accepted the money they spent on the tickets there and back.

"It's not like we were needed for this job anyway," he said to her.

"But I wasted your time. You could have done another job!" the brown-haired woman protested.

The ice-make wizard really didn't want to take her money. It felt like he was stealing it, since he hadn't done anything to deserve it. "Then how about this. If we're ever in town, and need a place to stay, we can come here?" It was something he thought the woman would accept as a replacement for money.

"Are you sure you don't want jewels?" she asked, and after he nodded, she said energetically, "Then you can come stay anytime you want!"

They said their goodbyes, and Gray started for the train station with Juvia following him.

Sadly, they had to wait an hour for a train to Magnolia. With nothing else to do, and not wanting Gramps to call him back to his office, he decided to deal with Juvia. She had to understand that they would never be together, and then she needed to realize that she had to move on.

"Hey, Juvia," he called out as he approached the blue-haired woman. Even though he hadn't talked to her since he repeated Natsu's words to her, he knew she still thought they would be together, especially as she answered.

"Yes, Gray-sama?" Juvia said, looking hopefully up at him. If she was still hopeful, was there anything that would convince her?

"Do you understand that I'll never love you?" the raven-haired boy asked, speaking slowly wanting to make sure the girl heard every word.

"Gray-sama will come to love Juvia with time," she said, obviously not wanting to hear his words.

"No, Juvia. It will never happen." He tried to sound firm, but at the same time consoling.

"If Gray-sama thinks that…" the blue-haired woman said, clearly not convinced.

The ice-make wizard didn't know what else he could do, so he decided to say one last thing. "Fine!" he said angrily. "You can think whatever you want, but if you won't accept what I think, what I feel, I don't want you near me. When we reach Magnolia, I don't want anyone else to come to the wrong conclusion, so until you're ready to accept that we will never be more than friends, stay away." Having said what he wanted to, he went away from the woman, going to wait for the train by himself.

Gray was thinking how in just a while he would see Natsu. They could go out for dinner, go out on another date. If they don't go on another job the day after, maybe they could go see a movie, or something like that. He didn't really know what couples usually did on dates. And with the things he did know, things that either of them knew, they'd have to pick only those that people wouldn't find strange for friends to do.

As the train arrived and he boarded it, he could already feel closer to his boyfriend. Every minute that passed, was a minute closer to Natsu, and even though they were apart for less than half a day, he already missed him.

* * *

Natsu answered his Compact Communication Lacrima, and as he heard what Lucy had to say, he answered. "Keep them there."

"Why?" she asked confused.

"You'll see. Just keep them there until we arrive," the fire mage said, speaking quietly.

"Sure," the celestial wizard answered, and ended their conversation. He still hadn't told the girls why Gramps called Gray and him to his office, and after he called the blond girl and told her to inform him if Wendy and Carla return, he knew that they were full of questions.

The dragon slayer went into the shop and found his little blue friend. "Did you find something you like?" he asked. Apparently, Happy imagined what he wanted to look like to the last detail, but he never thought of clothes to wear, so after he transformed, he was naked (which is how Natsu knew his friend imagined everything to the last detail, including the boy's private parts.).

Succeeding in transforming several times in a row (luckily, he imagined himself in underwear after the first time), he decided that he would be able to do it whenever he wanted. They went to a shop that sold clothes (which Natsu never went to, since all his were custom made), and since then the Exceed had been looking for clothes that would look good on him.

"Aye, sir!" the cat answered, and they went out of the store. Since Happy would use transformation magic to make his clothes, there was no need to buy them, but the pink-haired boy still left some money, feeling like he owed it. "What now?" his blue friend asked.

"We go to the guild," the fire mage said. He didn't tell the Exceed anything about either of his conversations with Lucy, so the cat had no idea Carla was back, and waiting at the guild. "How long do you think you can stay transformed?" the dragon slayer asked.

Happy took some time to think it over. "If I only stay transformed and don't use any other magic, I think I can stay like that at least a few hours," he answered, not looking a hundred percent sure of what he just said.

"Why don't you transform now? You can see the clothes, and if Carla is at the guildhall, it'll be better if you walk in like that."

The Exceed still didn't look convinced by the whole 'transformation and invitation to a restaurant' thing, and Natsu knew he would never suggest it a few weeks ago, but since he started dating Gray, this just felt like a romantic thing to do. After yelling "Transform!" for the first few attempts, Happy gave up on it, and began trying without the shout.

That's why Natsu wasn't surprised when one second he was looking at his little blue friend, and the next, in the same place there was a boy, the top of his head reaching Natsu's shoulders. Even though Happy found Carla's cat form more beautiful, it was clear he knew what made a human face handsome, seeing as that's how people would see his face. Just as with Carla, there were blue cat ears protruding from his blue hair, and a blue tail coming from somewhere in his clothes. The clothes he chose were also nice. He wore a white t-shirt under an unbuttoned sports shirt the same color as his hair. He still had his green backpack on his back, although this one was bigger. Then there were two things that Natsu guessed he took from him. He wore trousers just like Natsu's except his were black, and there was a scale-patterned scarf just like Natsu's around his neck.

Was it that his pick of clothes was really good, or was it just that the fire mage liked seeing that scarf around his friend? Whatever else could be said about it, the dragon slayer knew it would be seen as stylish.

"I think that will do it!" the pink-haired boy exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Happy asked fearfully. "I wanted to have your scarf, so I tried to find something that would look good with it," he explained.

"Well, now you really look like my kid," Natsu said, grinning widely as he rustled his friend's blue hair. It did the job as he saw the Exceed relax. "Here, you'll need this," the fire mage said, handing some jewels over.

"W-w-why?" the cat-like boy asked confused.

"What do you mean why!?" the dragon slayer exclaimed. "I thought you were the love expert around here! You'll have to pay for your meal." Wanting to make it clear, he added. "Both of your meals. And that's a lot of jewels, so find a nice restaurant, okay buddy?"

"Aye, sir," Happy answered unenthusiastically. For always teasing others about being in love, he didn't seem quite comfortable in that situation. The pink-haired boy could see the doubts his friend still had, but he knew they would be gone as soon as Carla accepted his invitation.

They reached the guild and entered it without much fuss. The heads turning towards them all had confused expressions on them. Most of their guildmates couldn't figure who the boy next to the fire mage was, and those who did only exchanged their confused looks for the ones of surprise.

The dragon slayer scanned the room, and once he located his target, he turned to his friend and whispered to him. "She's here, buddy. Go and ask her if you can treat her to a dinner."

Seeing as his friend wasn't moving, he put a hand on his back and whispering, "Come on, I'll come with you," started lightly pushing Happy towards the table where their team sat at. After a few steps, the cat-like boy recovered enough to walk on his own. Every head was still turned towards them, silence in the guild.

Reaching their destination, they were met with four very surprised faces. Natsu kept his hand on his friend's back, trying to give him support, until the Exceed spoke, hesitantly at first, but then firmly. "C… C-Carla, can I treat you to a dinner?"

Maybe those weren't the best words to ask someone on a date, maybe there was a better way to ask someone, but since the pink-haired boy didn't know what else to suggest, what else his friend could ask that wouldn't be too awkward for him with the whole guild looking at him, this would have to do.

Still surprised by the sight of transformed Happy, Carla tried to answer, opening her mouth and closing it again multiple times, until she decided to answer with the nod of her head. The fire mage felt his friend's tense back relaxing at the white Exceed's acceptance. Without any more words, Carla transformed into her human form, and the cat-like couple exited the guildhall.

With everyone still staring at the closed door out of the guild, Natsu sat down at the table, next to Wendy, opposite Lucy and Erza.

It took the girls a few more minutes to get out of their daze.

"Was that… Happy?" the celestial wizard asked, looking like she wasn't able to form anything else.

"You don't think I would bring someone else to Carla when he's been trying since they met, do you?" the fire mage asked, chuckling slightly at the looks of bewilderment all around him.

"Was that your idea?" the red-haired woman asked, and after he nodded, she continued. "That was very nice and thoughtful of you. At least now that you're dating, you can help Happy with his love problems."

"That was transformation magic, wasn't it? Same as Carla's and Panther Lily's, right?" Lucy asked.

"Yea, he was-" the pink-haired boy started saying, but was interrupted by a loud bang of the doors slamming into the wall.

Even before he looked at the door he knew it couldn't be anything good. He didn't know why, but he felt like his world was crumbling. He felt like he was about to receive some very bad news.

He turned to the doors, and there was one of townspeople standing there, out of breath. "A train has derailed just out of the train station!" the man said as loudly as he could with as out of breath as he was.

Why did Natsu felt like Gray was in trouble? There were dozens of trains going to and from Magnolia, and he didn't even know if his boyfriend would be returning that day, yet the only thought in his mind was: Gray's in trouble.

Other wizards were already on their way to the crash site, but the pink-haired boy was still trying to figure out why the thought that Gray was in trouble wouldn't leave his mind. It didn't matter, he decided. He could think about it later. Whether Gray was on that train or not, there were people there that needed help, and he had the ability to help them.

Natsu stood from his seat and started for the train station.


	23. Train Accident

**Chapter 23: Train Accident**

Natsu ran out of the guild. Other Fairy Tail wizards had a good head start on him, and they already rounded the corner when he came out of the door. Even with that advantage, the fire mage would be the first one to get there.

"Fire Body!" he shouted.

Flames started going from the dragon slayer's body. His new body grew past the twenty meters it had during the arena fight, past a hundred meters which was the height of Fairy Tail guildhall, and Kardia Cathedral, until the flaming body was five hundred meters tall. From his high vantage point and because of his sharp eyesight, he saw all the people in the town staring at him, but he ignored them, something else drawing his attention.

A few hundred meters away from the train station, a fire was burning. A thick smoke cloud was rising from where the accident occurred, but what the pink-haired boy managed to see through it didn't look good. A single train had probably derailed, but with either no way, or no time to inform others, more trains crashed into it. He saw at least three locomotives, and that meant people from at least three different trains were hurt. If they were all full, there could be at least a few hundred people there.

Not wasting any more time, Natsu willed his fire body to move. As the body moved, flames went around the people, and since they weren't hot, and the fire body was light, he didn't destroy or burn anything. Thanks to his real body being small, he could control his new body to move with the same speed. Going in the straight line, with his big legs, he was at the accident site in less than a minute.

Now that he was close, he saw how bad it was. There were more than three trains that were in the accident. How many of them there were, he couldn't be sure, but it seemed that others heard or saw what happened there, as he saw trains stopped further down the rail. What he managed to glimpse through the thick smoke were people lying everywhere. Most were still in the cars, but some were sprawled on the ground outside, some flying out during the accident, others crawling out.

The fire mage was used to seeing people hurt, used to seeing destruction since he has often been the cause of it, but that sight was horrible. Fire everywhere, people lying all over the place, some unmoving, others still crawling away from the danger. There was a pretty good chance that some of the people there were dead and just by looking at the people he saw, he knew there were those who were severely injured.

Knowing these people needed help as fast as they could get it, the dragon slayer dispelled his fire body, and started eating the fires around the accident site, starting from the ones closest to people. The fires were soon gone, at least the flames that threaten to kill or injure someone, but by the time he ate them, other people were already coming to the accident site.

After he made sure that the fire was contained, eating a few more flames that seemed like they'd pose a danger, he started going through the wrecked train cars looking for anyone who looked like he would need immediate medical attention.

Maybe he wasn't a doctor, and he would surely ignore any injury he got, shrugging it off as harmless, but as he entered the first train car, he knew most of these people needed immediate medical attention, only those who were already gone being the exception.

He knew there was no way for him to carry all of those people out of there, so he created a huge Fire Carpet, spanning the whole accident site, but making the flames invisible, just like he did in the arena fight. As he made sure it was safe to transport each person, cauterizing a few bad wounds, he created human like flames which carried the injured outside, bringing them to whoever was out there that knew how to help them.

Moving through the cars as fast as he could, he had to leave some people where he found them. They had objects protruding from their bodies, pinning them to the train, and Natsu knew that pulling them off would cause too heavy bleeding. Those he could separate from the train by melting whatever was keeping them pinned, making sure not to remove it, he made his Fire Persons bring outside, and for those he couldn't, he created Fire Persons outside to bring someone in.

The pink-haired boy just finished going through the fifth car, not yet even having looked through one train, yet he already saw eight dead people. It was sickening to see people with a rod going through their heads, dead eyes looking straight ahead, people with smashed heads, people who bled to death, covered in the red liquid. Every person he found dead made him think of how this could've been Gray. Every person, except the last one, that is.

It was just a few moments ago. He found a little boy who reminded him of Happy's new form, just lying on the floor. The boy looked completely fine, except for a few scratches and bruises, so the fire mage was surprised when he didn't hear his heartbeat. He put his arms underneath the boy, not understanding why he didn't hear his heart, and felt something hot and thick cover them. Still not getting what was going on, he lifted the boy, and he felt it was harder than it should have been. He put more force into it, and as the boy's body came off the ground, he realized why there was no heartbeat. Somewhere in the accident, a part of the train from under it pierced through the floor, and in all the spinning the car must've done, the boy landed on it. It wasn't long enough to completely penetrate through the boy, but since his heart was pierced, there was nothing to be done. All he could do was lie the boy down on the seat and continue helping those who were still alive.

He entered the sixth train car, his arms, as well as part of his clothes, completely covered in the boy's blood. Continuing to help anyone he could, his nightmares started coming back to him. Just like in them, everyone here was covered in blood, he was covered in others' blood. Repeating over and over in his head that most of these people weren't dead was the only thing that made him keep going. If not for that, he was sure he would just lie down somewhere there, and just like those nightmares where he didn't have any strength or will to continue, he would only cry, wondering why it was happening again.

As he searched through the last car and exited it, he saw that there were a lot of people all around. There were doctors everywhere, firefighters dealing with the fires, and there were other Fairy Tail wizards who managed to come there while he was searching the first train. The pink-haired boy looked around, looking at a place where he would be most useful. Trains were being searched from the direction of Magnolia, so he decided to go to the last train that he saw. He already felt tired from using the Fire Body to come there, maintaining a huge Fire Carpet, and all the Fire Persons he had to create, but there were still people that needed help and he could rest later.

Rushing towards the last train, he entered its first car. Just like every car of the first train, people were everywhere. Continuing what he was doing, he checked every person, sending them all out with his Fire Persons, making the people outside, people who were more knowledgeable in medicine, decide who needed the help sooner.

Clearing the first three train cars like he had the whole first train, luckily not finding anyone dead, he entered the fourth car. As he checked the people in it, he came across a familiar face. Underneath the man who had a nasty gash on his forehead, was a woman, her whole head covered in the man's blood. With her red face, he barely recognized her, but the few locks of her blue-hair which weren't covered in red, convinced him that it was her. That it was Juvia.

It took him a moment to realize that if she was there, that meant that Gray was to. He looked around, but he didn't see his boyfriend anywhere. Maybe the girl went home alone, he thought, and went back to his job. He checked her, not finding any serious wound, a bump on her head where she must've hit against something. Sending her out with one of his flame familiars, he continued his search, speeding up, wanting to make sure the ice-make wizard wasn't on the train.

Continuing to search car after car and not finding any sign of the raven-haired boy, the dragon slayer was beginning to get more and more certain that the water mage must've gone home alone.

Maybe it was because the train wasn't going as fast as the first one, or maybe the driver reacted in some way and minimized the magnitude of the accident, but Natsu hadn't found a dead person in that train.

That was the thought in his mind as he reached the last person in the train, and he saw that it was his boyfriend. Like most people he found in the cars, he too was unconscious. The boy's right hand was bent at an odd angle, broken in at least two places. There was little blood here and there, but as far as the fire mage could see, it was from the scratches, and not any seriously bleeding wound.

As his familiars did with every person Natsu came across, he lifted Gray carefully, fearing some injury he didn't or couldn't notice, and carefully exited the train. He could see his guildmates still checking other trains, some carrying the people out, others attending to the injured.

However much he knew he shouldn't run with his injured boyfriend in his arms, not being able to know exactly how he was injured, he couldn't control himself. He needed to know that the raven-haired boy was all right, that he would be fine. Running through the accident site, he was finally able to count the number of trains that had crashed, at least the ones on that side of the rails. There were five locomotives scattered around. Two of them looked like they were going from Magnolia, while the other three were going to Magnolia.

With the hills all around, the trains coming there couldn't notice what had happened in time, but the dragon slayer couldn't figure out how the trains going from Magnolia crashed. There was a straight line from there to the train station, so they should have been able to see what happened. Of course, it didn't matter at that moment. All that mattered was finding Wendy.

After he found the sky dragon slayer, he headed straight for her. He saw Lucy, Levy and some of the other guildmembers helping the little blue-haired girl, but he ignored them. They weren't important right now. What mattered right now was making sure Gray wasn't injured more than he appeared, making sure he gets the treatment he needed.

Before he was able to reach them, the celestial wizard noticed him.

"Natsu?" she asked loudly to be heard over all the talk, and the distance separating them.

Why did she sound like she was asking if that was him? He wasn't too far for even a normal human eye to see him clearly, and the blond girl knew what he looked like. So, why was she asking if that was him?

"Natsu, what's wrong?" she asked only a second later, sounding fearful and worried, looking scared.

Why was she asking him that? She knew about him and Gray, so couldn't she figure why he was running towards them with his boyfriend in his arms, how he was feeling?

Only after he reached Wendy, did he notice why Lucy was worried. There were tears running down his face. Had they started when he found Gray? No, they were already there by that time. Was it when he found Juvia? No, he decided again, his face already had them, even then. It was after he saw that dead boy, the boy who reminded him of Happy. It was when his nightmares started coming to him, even though he was awake. Seeing all those people's lives end so suddenly, so tragically, so unfairly, how could he not cry.

As he lowered the raven-haired boy down, he realized why the celestial wizard sounded fearful. Even he didn't recognize the boy he had lowered down anymore, covered in blood as he was. That amount of blood confused him, especially since he checked every part of Gray, making sure he wasn't bleeding from anywhere, or at least that he didn't have anything that could bleed that much.

Still confused, he raised his bloody, shaking hands to wipe away his tears, and he realized why the blond girl didn't recognize him. His whole face, hair, and looking down, his body were covered in blood. He didn't feel any pain, so the blood must not have been his. Was it from the people in the trains? There were a lot of splatters and spurts of blood from a lot of people, people whose wounds he needed to cauterize, people who were already dead when he reached them but not dead long enough for their blood to dry up.

"Gray?" the sky dragon slayer asked, not recognizing the boy through the blood.

"Gray?" Lucy repeated, putting her hands over her mouth.

Wendy immediately jumped to him, asking as she prepared to check him, and heal what needed to be healed, "Where is he bleeding from?"

"N-n-nowhere," the fire mage said, the scenes of what he saw in the trains finally coming back to him. The blue-haired girl looked at him, clearly not sure if she should believe him. "He shouldn't be," he said as the sky dragon slayer put her hands over his boyfriend, examining what his injuries were.

"He'll be fine," the girl said after a few moments, moving on to another person.

"What do you mean he'll be fine? You haven't healed him!" the pink-haired boy yelled surprised and confused.

The sky dragon slayer turned to him. "Natsu, there are people here who are going to die without my healing. He'll be fine. I can heal his broken arm and ribs later," she said. The fire mage knew she was right, at least some part of him knew. The other, major part of him knew only that his boyfriend needed to be healed, needed to be treated.

The part of him that could still think rationally told him not to argue any further, that lives were at stake. Even with that, he couldn't just stand by and watch the boy he loved lie on the ground in the state he was. He needed to do something! "Can I carry him to the hospital?" he asked, not knowing what else to do.

Wendy looked at him for a moment, probably wondering why Gray getting treated was so important to him. She could have figured it by his expression, but with the blood that must've been covering his face, there was no way she could see anything. "It should be safe to move him," she finally said. "Just watch his arm and chest. And be careful with his head. Everyone here probably has a concussion."

He lifted his boyfriend in his arms carefully, and not looking at anyone, started for Magnolia. After he took a few steps, he realized something, turned to the sky dragon slayer, and asked, "Is there anyone else that I can carry to the hospital?"

"There are people that could go, but your hands are full," she answered, not looking up from the person she was healing.

"I can do it. Just point them out," he said. They probably didn't even know that he was the one who went through two trains, bringing people out of them, or healers to the people if he wasn't sure people should be moved.

Clearly trying to concentrate, and not wanting to argue further, she said, "Lucy can show you."

The pink-haired boy turned towards the celestial wizard, and she, without any question, for which he was thankful, pointed towards a group separated from the rest. There were five, six dozen people there.

Natsu changed his Fire Carpet, shrinking it to encompass a smaller circle around him. It was enough to reach the furthers person in the group that was pointed, and with that done, he created Fire Persons to carry each person there, and he started moving towards the hospital, his familiars following after him.

As he got further from the accident site, closer to the town, he turned the flames of his Fire Carpet orangey-red, the color of fire. It wouldn't harm anyone, but it would clear a path for him in the town.

It turned out there was no need for the flames. As soon as people saw him covered in blood, as soon as they saw all the people being carried, they made room for them. Everyone stared at the procession that was walking through the town. With that thick smoke that was coming from the trains, from the fires that burned around them, the fire mage was sure everyone knew what had happened.

They walked for half an hour, the hospital being on the other side of town. Every once in a while, he checked on other people that he was carrying, making sure they weren't bleeding or anything. He saw that some of the people he was carrying were the same people he carried out of the train. He didn't remember their faces, there were too many of them, too many people in that accident, but he saw his 'mark' on them, the wounds he cauterized.

The hospital was ready to receive the patients, but there were still surprised when the dragon slayer reached it. He was the first one to enter, and with him and the boy he was carrying being covered in blood, the people inside were surprised, some of them terrified, not realizing they were coming from the accident, until his Fire Persons came in, carrying other people in.

When he got all the people in the hospital, everyone put where the doctors and nurses told him to put them, as he stayed with Gray, he heard the fearful voiced talking about how many victims there were. Apparently, people still thought that it was just one train that had derailed.

Natsu knew he had to tell someone just what had happened, so when a nurse came into the room Gray was in, came to clean him up before anyone could treat him, the pink-haired boy went to find a doctor. He explained the situation, told them that they had to expect a lot more people than this, and after he was finished, he went back to his boyfriend.

He stayed with the ice-make wizard since then. The nurses first looked over the raven-haired boy, treating his cuts and scratches. While they did that, someone offered the dragon slayer a towel, and with some water he managed to clean at least some of the dried blood off of himself. His clothes were red, but there was no helping it.

After the scrapes were taken care of, they took Gray to X-ray his right arm. His arm was fractured in two places, on his forearm and on his upper arm. They put a cast on his arm and warned Natsu that he had a concussion and not to allow him to move when he wakes up. The dragon slayer thanked the nurse as she went out of the room.

With as many people as he had brought to the hospital, an hour or two passed by the time the ice-make wizard was treated. He overheard that although some of the people he brought here were seriously injured, none of them were in life danger, which made sense, since Wendy probably looked at these people and concluded that they weren't.

As of that moment, no other people from the accident were brought to the hospital. He already heard doctors and nurses getting nervous as for what that meant, but the fire mage knew why no one else was brought there. With the sky dragon slayer there, she had a better chance of healing the injured, then if they first brought them to the hospital and then get them treated. The medics there would help her by finding people who needed immediate help, and he was sure that once all the trains were looked over, the Fairy Tail wizards would start bringing people there.

Natsu spent another hour next to unconscious Gray, the nightmares he had at night, and the horrible scenes he saw in the trains as his only company. That's when Happy, in his cat form, entered the room. He looked sad and guilty as he ran towards the pink-haired boy.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. I-" the Exceed said.

"Don't worry about it," the dragon slayer interrupted his blue friend. "He'll be fine," he said, still worrying about his boyfriend. "Did you have a good time with Carla?" the fire mage asked, trying to get rid of the nightmares that plagued his mind.

It took Happy a few moments to realize what the question was, but once he did, Natsu felt him smiling against his chest, as he answered. "Aye, sir." It was a sad "Aye, sir" despite the cat smiling, but it was nice to know that his friend was content with how his date went. "Thank you, Natsu," the Exceed said quietly.

They waited quietly, only a few words passing between them, for another two hours. That was when the raven-haired boy started stirring. It was ten, fifteen minutes before he finally woke up. He looked lost, looking around like he couldn't clearly see what was in front of him.

Natsu jumped to him, took Gray's good hand into his own, and put his other hand onto the ice-make wizard's shoulder. Trying to draw his boyfriend's attention to himself, he spoke quietly, "Don't move." Gray's eyes moved to the dragon slayer's face, confusion evident on the pale face of the raven-haired boy.

"Wha… What's going on? Where am I? And why does my head hurt?" he asked in a weak voice, grimacing as he realized his head hurt.

"You were in an accident. You're in a hospital," the fire mage answered quietly.

"Is everyone else all right?" the raven-haired boy asked, a Fairy Tail wizard in him worried about others.

The dragon slayer couldn't tell him that people died, not right then. "They're fine. Wendy is healing everyone," he answered instead.

"Natsu?" Gray asked, as if just realizing who was talking to him. "Is that my blood?" he asked fearfully.

"No," the pink-haired boy answered. "Don't worry about it right now. You need rest," he said.

Talking about rest made him realize just how tired he was. He didn't even notice when he sat down, or how a chair even made its way to him, but he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He saw that his boyfriend was fine, he saw it with his own eyes, and now that he knew that, he couldn't will himself to stay awake anymore. The only reason he was able to stay awake for this long was because he needed to make sure Gray was all right, needed to make sure with his own eyes, and now that he has, his body forced him to sleep. As he began drifting off, he felt his and his boyfriend's hands still connected just like they were when they'd go to sleep, which made him put a smile on his face, even through all the exhaustion.

* * *

Gray still didn't remember what accident he was in, and his vision was still blurry, but he saw his boyfriend collapse into a chair.

"Natsu?" he asked worriedly, but weakly. There was no reply. "Natsu?" he tried saying louder, but it was still weak. Then he felt something move by his head, and as he turned his head, he saw something blue. Was that Happy?

"Don't worry, he's just tired," the cat said.

"Tired? Is it that late?" the ice-make wizard asked.

"It's somewhere around midnight, but he used a lot of magic," the Exceed answered.

"What happened?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"You don't remember?" Happy asked, and as Gray shook his head, he explained. "A train going towards the train station derailed, and as it flew out of the rails, it pushed three trains that were going out of Magnolia. Because of were the accident happened, three more trains crashed into them before other trains were stopped. As far as I heard, he was the first one there, apparently creating a Fire Body five hundred meters tall to get there, eating all the fire around the accident, and then he went and brought all the people out of two trains alone, only using his magic."

Gray didn't know if it was the information (it was probably his injuries) that made the world spin. He heard his boyfriend's words again. "You need rest." He wasn't sure if he would remember what happened, if he would even remember that conversation when he woke up again, but he couldn't stay awake any longer. At least he got to feel his boyfriend's hand in his as the sleep took him.

* * *

Lucy sat by the doors to Gray's hospital room. She heard bits of conversations, and she saw how the boys slept. Maybe it was because she knew the truth about them, but she didn't think them holding hands would be perceived as something friends do.

When she and Erza came to the hospital just a few minutes ago, and saw what was going on in the room, they decided that they wouldn't allow anyone to enter the room. With how much Natsu did that day, with how she reacted to them being together and how the red-haired girl said they went on a date, they felt this was the least they could do for them.

That's why Lucy sat by Gray's hospital room, steering anyone who wanted to enter away from it. To the guildmembers that wanted to check how the ice-make wizard was doing she said that he was asleep and not to disturb him. Luckily, no doctors or nurses came, and if they had, she didn't know what she would tell them.

The girls continued their watch, wanting to keep the boys' secret until they were ready to tell everyone.


	24. Out of the Hospital

**Chapter 24: Out of the Hospital**

Gray woke up with light hitting his eyes. He opened them, but his vision was blurry. He tried bringing his hands to rub his eyes and stopped when he felt something weird. He couldn't move his right arm at the elbow. It soon made sense since he remembered he was in an accident. What didn't make sense was that something was in his left hand. If he remembered correctly, only one of his arms, only his right arm was in a cast. He tried blinking a few times to clear his vision, to see what was in his left hand.

After a few minutes, his vision improved somewhat, and he saw that Natsu was still sitting in a chair near his bed, his hand in the ice-make wizard's hand. That's right, the pink-haired boy fell asleep shortly after Gray woke up sometime in the night. His vision a little better than the night before, he saw just how much blood his boyfriend's clothes were drenched in.

The raven-haired boy closed his eyes, trying to think back, trying to remember what happened. His head still hurting made it difficult to concentrate, but he did remember talking to Juvia on the train station, he remembered making plans for another date with Natsu, he remembered boarding the train, and then… nothing. He couldn't remember the train starting, much less the accident.

He was surprised that all he got was a broken arm, and judging by the pain in his chest, at least one broken rib. Since the rails were elevated, after the crash, the train must've rolled down, the people inside flying in every which way. He could feel that most of his body was bruised, there were scratches, probably from the glass and other sharp objects that were flying with the people inside.

It really was a miracle he wasn't hurt more seriously. By the blood on the fire mage's clothes, it was clear that not everyone was that lucky. He could only hope that everyone survived it.

A knock on the door made him open his eyes. He saw the pink-haired boy stirring, as he looked from him towards the door. Lucy stuck her head in. "You should probably wake up," she said, looking a little guilty she had to wake them up. "It's already noon and I don't know for how long we can keep people out of this room."

"Keep people out?" the ice-make wizard asked before he had a chance to realize why people needed to be kept out.

"Well, you don't want others to know, do you?" the celestial wizard asked, looking at their clasped hands.

Gray felt something stir at the foot of his bed, and just them noticed Happy looking at him. At least he got used to Gray and Natsu being together enough not to giggle at things like them holding hands.

Natsu just woke up, pulling his hands to rub his eyes, Lucy still looking inside, as a doctor went past her and into the room. "Good morning, Mr. Fullbuster," the doctor said, clearly exhausted, probably awake and working at least since the accident happened. "How are you feeling?"

"My arm and chest hurts," the ice-make wizard said, getting the most obvious stuff out of the way.

"Of course, your arm is fractured in two places, and you have three broken ribs. How about your head? Is it hurting? Blurry vision, nausea, feeling tired? Can you concentrate on stuff, think clearly?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, it's hurting and my vision's a little blurry, but I'm not feeling nauseous or tired. And I think I can think just fine, considering how bad my head is hurting," the raven-haired boy answered.

"You have a concussion, Mr. Fullbuster. Normally, we'd keep you here a few more days for observation, but with all the people from the accident, honestly, we need every free bed we can get. Do you have someone who can stay with you for a few days?" the doctor asked.

That's the moment he heard what he hoped he wouldn't have to hear for some time. "Gray-sama, Juvia…" the blue-haired woman started.

Luckily, Lucy didn't allow her to enter, and the ice-make wizard cut her off. "Do you have a concussion?" he asked coldly and quietly, but she heard him clearly.

"Juvia doesn't have a concussion," she answered, clearly thinking he asked out of concern.

"Then you remember what I told you before the train arrived," the raven-haired boy said, ending that conversation. Turning to the doctor, he said. "I have someone who can stay with me."

"OK. Just to stay on the safe side, you shouldn't go anywhere alone. You should have one of your friends here escort you home."

"You don't mind Natsu, do you? It's on your way home," the ice-make wizard said, making sure the pink-haired boy knew he was the person Gray hoped would stay with him.

"Oh?" the fire mage asked, feinting surprise. "Would you like me to carry you, ice princess?" he asked mockingly.

"Yes, sir," the doctor said, clearly not getting it was a joke, though Gray couldn't blame him since he must've been tired. "If he can't make it or if he's dizzy after standing up, you should carry him."

It looked like Natsu didn't know how to react to someone taking his 'joke' seriously, so he just stared at the doctor, the expression on his face one of disbelief. It may be because there was a chance he would have to carry the ice-make wizard, or because the doctor took his 'joke' seriously, but Gray knew it was the latter.

"Fine," the pink-haired boy finally said, seeing as the doctor was waiting for his answer.

"And you, Mr. Fullbuster, if you don't feel better in a few days, or if you feel like you're getting worse, you should come back here. I'll prescribe you some pain medication to ease the pain in your arm, your chest and your head. This should go without saying, but please don't do any strenuous tasks while you're healing." The doctor gave a slip of paper to Gray and, having said everything he came to say, left the room.

"Can you stand?" the dragon slayer asked worriedly.

Gray slowly shifted to the edge of the bed and flopped his legs over it. He slowly lowered his legs to the floor and stood up. After he was standing, he realized that it would have been a good idea to hang on to something. The world started spinning, and he lost his balance. Luckily, Natsu was close enough and ready to catch him.

As the dragon slayer lowered him on the bed and the world stopped spinning, the raven-haired boy spoke. "I think you'll need to carry me."

The fire mage nodded and looking at the door he asked. "How's Wendy."

The ice-make wizard looked to whom his boyfriend was talking and saw only Lucy at the door. The blue-haired woman left at some point, hopefully realizing that Gray was serious when he said to stay away.

"I don't think she'll do any healing for the next few days. She's used all of her Magic Power yesterday, so I'm afraid Gray will have to live with a broken arm and fractured ribs for a few days," the celestial wizard said.

The pink-haired boy nodded. "Thanks, Lucy," he said, then turned to the ice-make wizard. "Can you dress yourself?" he asked, clearly offering to help if he couldn't.

"I think I can manage that much on my own," the raven-haired boy answered. "Just… where are my clothes?" he asked looking around the room, not seeing them.

"Here you go," Happy said, offering him a bag. "I went to your apartment to get them this morning, since the ones you wore yesterday are bloody and ripped." The cat then turned to Natsu, offering him another bag. "You should probably change too."

"Thanks, buddy," the fire mage said with a small smile, taking the bag from the Exceed. The dragon slayer started taking his overcoat off, but covered in dried blood as it was, he soon abandoned the attempt. "I should probably shower before I change."

"I think I'm clean," the ice-make wizard said, slowly getting out of his hospital gown. Usually he could take it off in under a second, but with his arm in a cast, his chest hurting, and not knowing if the world would start to suddenly spin, he took it slowly.

Only after he was out of it, did he realize that he may not be wearing anything underneath it. Thankfully, he still had his underwear on. Other than his underwear, he saw a few gauzes, and a good portion of his body covered in black-blue bruises. Taking the pants out of the bag, he didn't know if Happy thought about it or not, but he didn't bring Gray jeans, he brought him easy to put on trousers. The raven-haired boy didn't even know how he would put his belt on with one hand. After he somehow managed to get into his shirt, he was ready to go.

"Ready?" Natsu asked him, and when he nodded, the pink-haired boy sat down on the bed, between his legs, and hoisted him up. With the fire mage holding his legs, he put his right arm over the dragon slayer's shoulder, while his left arm went over the boy's left shoulder, around his head, resting on his scaly scarf, gripping his right shoulder.

The ice-make wizard felt how hard Natsu's clothes were, under him. With the blood that dried up in them, they probably even couldn't be considered clothes anymore. It was questionable if they could even be taken off, or if they would have to be peeled.

Once the fire mage saw that Gray was holding tightly to him, he rose from the bed and started out of the room. As they exited the room, the ice-make wizard saw the consequences of the accident.

People were everywhere. The hall only had a passage that allowed movement, and the rest of it was covered with people either on those moveable hospital beds, or just sitting or lying on the floor on blankets. The scenes in the rooms were no different. Only his room wasn't filled with people it seemed. Why he even got a room, he wasn't sure, but he thought that he either got it because he was a Fairy Tail wizard, or because he was one of the first people to come there, which wouldn't surprise him if Natsu found him.

Making their way through the crowded hall, he saw that Lucy, Erza and Happy were following them. Was that what Lucy meant by keeping people out of the room? He wasn't surprised anymore that all the doctors seemed exhausted, and that they were sending those less injured home.

Exiting the hospital, the scene didn't change. The courtyard was also filled with people who were in the accident. Most of their bleeding wounds have been taken care of, though he saw that people still didn't have broken legs or arms in casts. Happy said there were seven trains in the accident, but seeing how many people were actually injured, how many people were on those seven trains, it was really shocking.

At least these people were being treated, they weren't bleeding, weren't unconscious. He knew that what his boyfriend had seen was far worse. By the looks of it, some of these people's wounds have been cauterized, probably by the fire mage himself. To those nightmares Natsu still had, new ones would be added, all the injured people he saw, and all the dead people he saw, which the ice-make wizard was now sure there had been.

The pink-haired boy fixed his eyes on the exit from the courtyard, and headed there, not looking at anyone, not looking at the still injured people.

They made it out of the courtyard, when Lucy spoke up. "I'm going home," she said yawning. "Don't do anything stupid, Gray." The celestial wizard sent him a warning look, and he got the same one from the red-haired girl. He would probably need that warning if his boyfriend weren't with him. But since Natsu would be there, he didn't mind being confined to his apartment.

"Good night," he simply answered to the girls who were clearly awake the whole night. They didn't say anything else as they went back to their homes to get some sleep.

"Happy, can you go to the drugstore?" the dragon slayer asked his blue friend, reminding the raven-haired boy of the prescription the doctor gave him. As the Exceed agreed, Gray gave him the paper, and the cat flew off.

As the pink-haired boy carried his boyfriend, they didn't talk much. The fire mage stopped a few times, sniffing the air and making funny faces, but as the ice-make wizard asked what was wrong, he would brush it off saying he was just checking something.

Reaching his apartment, Natsu carried him inside, locked the door behind them, and lowered him on a couch. The fire mage looked agitated as he turned around and asked him. "What did you tell Juvia?"

"Why? What's wrong?" Gray asked, hearing his boyfriend sounding annoyed.

"She's been following us, you, I guess, since we left the hospital," the dragon slayer said, speaking quietly, meaning the blue-haired woman was probably close.

"I told her to stay away from me," the ice-make wizard said truthfully, now totally convinced that that woman was crazy.

"Well, either she didn't understand, didn't listen, or is just ignoring it. Whatever it is, I don't think she'll stay away. If anything, she's only gotten closer." The pink-haired boy seemed like he got an idea, and then he loudly asked, loud enough for anyone outside the apartment to hear. "Will your girlfriend stay with you?" he asked mockingly, to anyone outside sounding like he was teasing Gray.

The raven-haired boy getting the hint, replied just as loudly. "No, I don't want her to see me like this," he said miserably. "Do you mind staying with me for a few days?" he asked, each word sounding like it hurt more than the last.

"Me!?" the fire mage exclaimed surprised. "Why would I waste my time here babysitting you?"

"Come on! I helped you on the S-class trial job, and I even went with you after the arena fight."

The dragon slayer was quiet for the moment, making it seem like he was thinking of an excuse. "Fine!" he said, like he couldn't think of anything. "But if you tell anyone, I'll say I only stayed with you because you were afraid your girlfriend would leave you if she saw what state you're in, ice princess."

"Do you think I want others to know you stayed here, flame brain!?" the ice-make wizard asked, getting in his role. He realized that it wasn't hard to act like a rival with Natsu. They'd been doing it for so long that it almost felt natural.

Laughter came from the pink-haired boy, which Gray took meant that Juvia was gone. As he joined his boyfriend in laughing, Happy flew in through the window.

After eying them for a few seconds, he asked. "What's so funny?"

"We just had to get rid of some unwanted guests," the fire mage said after calming down. Then turning to the ice-make wizard he asked. "You don't mind if I shower, do you?"

"No, go right ahead. Use whatever you need," the raven-haired boy answered.

"Happy, can you stay with Gray until I'm done?" he asked, and after the cat nodded, he added. "You can tell him how your date with Carla went." Then realizing something, he said with a smile on his face. "No, actually don't. I want to hear it too."

It turned out not to be much of a story since the Exceed didn't want to reveal any details. What they did get out of him was that they had a great time, and that Carla said she'd like to do it again. The ice-make wizard told Happy to stay there too, so he wouldn't have to be at home alone, which the cat accepted.

Once the Exceed's story was finished, Natsu, or more precisely, his stomach, remembered that it didn't have any food since an afternoon snack the day before, so he went into the kitchen to prepare something.

Whether it was just easier for his boyfriend, he was lazy, or he just didn't want to bother with it, the pink-haired boy rarely cooked as far as he knew. Gray thought that, because he would always have lunch and dinner at the guild. Despite that, the food he made was delicious.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," he said, eating whatever was on his plate. As far as the ice-make wizard remembered, there weren't a lot of ingredients he had in his kitchen, since he, too, most often ate at the guild.

"It's something Igneel thought me. Although they thought we would all come out of the Eclipse Gate together, it was something that was never done. So, in case I was left alone, I needed to know how to feed myself. He thought me how to hunt, butcher animals, cook food… Of course, I had to learn about most of the spices and human ingredients by myself since all Igneel really thought me about cooking was burning meat, but that wasn't a problem since I like to eat so much," the fire mage explained with a smile.

"You got any other secret talents? Can you knit, maybe?" the raven-haired wizard asked jokingly, eying his boyfriend's scarf.

"Hey!" the dragon slayer exclaimed with food in his mouth. "This was knitted by miss Anna. And it's not like I would've needed to know how to knit to survive," he complained.

"If you can cook this good, then why do you even go eat at the guild?" the ice-make wizard asked.

"Because it's more fun eating with others around," his boyfriend answered like it was obvious.

"Well, I'd like to eat something else you cook, because this is really amazing," Gray complimented.

"In that case, I should probably go shopping. Do you even go to the store? I mean, if not for pots and plates, your kitchen would be empty," the fire mage said confirming the raven-haired boy's suspicions.

"I can't cook like this, and I've been almost constantly away from Magnolia for more than two weeks," the ice-make wizard tried to justify himself.

"So…" the pink-haired boy started after finishing everything on his plate. "What do you want to do for the next few days until Wendy can heal you?"

"I have a few Movie Lacrima I still haven't watched, and I guess we could play some games," Gray said.

"What movies do you have?" Happy asked excitedly.

They settled for watching some action movie which they all enjoyed. The raven-haired boy remembered thinking about what Natsu and he could do on their dates instead of just going to eat, and he remembered one of those options was to go to a cinema to see a movie, but watching it like that, privately, was better. They could lean one towards the other without anyone looking at them weirdly and wondering what was going on. They could enjoy watching the movie truly together, and not just as two people watching it.

Once the movie was finished, his boyfriend went shopping. Gray stayed in his apartment with the blue Exceed. They played some card games, but it took the ice-make wizard a few games to realize what they were doing. Apparently, the cat and the pink-haired boy didn't play by anyone else's rules. They came up with their own ones, and if you played with either of them, as he was playing with Happy at that moment, the cat said they expected you to play by their rules. After he learned those rules, the game seemed more fun than anything else he had played before.

As the two of them were having fun, the dragon slayer returned with shopping bags, and heading for the kitchen, he started preparing the dinner. It seemed like his boyfriend hadn't forgotten his knitting joke, seeing as he had to suffer through two hours of mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen before the dinner was served.

The pink-haired boy came to the couch and asked him to try and stand since he was unable to bring the meal there. Gray slowly got to his feet, this time holding his boyfriend for support, and although the world was still spinning slightly, he was able to stand. Slowly, still gripping Natsu's hand, they made their way to the kitchen, and the dining table there.

There was a meal fit for a king on the table. The two of them were alone in the kitchen, Happy preferring to eat his fish on a comfortable couch. Gray didn't care how comfortable he was, because just by looking at everything, he knew it was delicious. It really looked like it could be served to a king, or a queen now, of Fiore.

They started eating, and he realized just how good the pink-haired boy's cooking really was. Just because of its deliciousness he would prefer to eat this to anything else, but what made this meal even greater was the fact that his boyfriend made this, and he made it specifically for him.

Only after finishing did he realize that he may have eaten a little too much, but he didn't care. Everything he cared about was sitting on the other side of that table, the person he loved smiling at him.

If this was how his recovery was going to feel like, maybe he didn't need Wendy. How long does it take for a broken arm and fractured ribs to heal on their own? A few months? He wouldn't mind a few months of this.


	25. Recovery

**Chapter 25: Recovery**

Natsu opened his eyes to see his boyfriend sleeping in front of him, their hands clasped. Happy slept in between them, claiming to be there to stop anything indecent as they went to sleep last night, but the fire mage knew his friend was there more because he wanted to be, and less because he felt like he needed to be.

There was a knock on the front door. Was that what woke him up, or was this the first one? Gray started stirring, but seeing as the ice-make wizard and the blue Exceed were still sleeping, the dragon slayer slowly got out of bed, not disturbing the other two. He hurried to the door as fast and quietly as he could, hoping to get there before another knock.

Luckily, he got there in time, and as he started to unlock the door, he wondered who could be there so early. Opening the door, he saw Erza standing there in her casual outfit, her casual armor. Seeing her worried expression, he exited the apartment and closed the door quickly, not wanting their conversation to disturb the two still sleeping.

"Did something happen?" the pink-haired boy asked, not sure why she looked worried, yet he didn't feel like there was any life-threatening danger.

The expression on the red-haired girl's face changed from worried to embarrassed and ashamed before she spoke. "I may have done something stupid," she said quietly.

The fire mage couldn't imagine what the requip mage could have done to have her so worried. They weren't on a job, so she couldn't have messed it up. Besides, if she did something stupid as she said, then why would she need to tell him, and why would she need to tell it the first thing in the morning. "What did you do?" he asked in a consoling voice, letting her know to take as much time as she needed.

"The night we arrived from Crocus…" Erza finally said after half a minute of silence. "After you and Gray left and we entered the guild, someone asked where you were," she explained, then looking guiltily into his eyes, tears starting to form, she continued. "I blurted out that you went on a date. I'm sorry."

Was that what all the whispers were about the previous day as he and Gray entered the guild? Was that what "She was out for revenge." and "She just did it for Lucy" meant? As far as the dragon slayer remembered, there wasn't anyone who took it seriously. Now that he knew what she said, he knew that people thought she did it because he wouldn't go out with Lucy. And the red-haired girl didn't seem that affected by it yesterday, so why was she crying now?

"Nobody took you seriously," he said, trying to calm her down.

It took her some time to calm down, but she still looked ashamed as she spoke. "You're right, nobody took me seriously, not after Lucy said I did it because you wouldn't go out with her." The celestial wizard herself told everyone he wouldn't go out with her!? "But, apparently, Juvia overheard that you would stay with Gray, and now people are wondering why you would go to a dinner with Gray, why you two would go on jobs together, why you would come to the guild together…"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," the pink-haired boy said, knowing that people would start to wonder about that. "Do you want to come in?" he asked, hearing his boyfriend and his friend talking inside.

"Isn't Gray sleeping?" Erza wondered since he exited the apartment and closed the door.

"Not anymore," the fire mage said, opening the door and motioning for her to enter.

They entered the apartment and heard a voice coming from the bedroom. "Who was it?" the ice-make wizard asked.

The red-haired girl looked much better than when Natsu first saw her, so he wasn't surprised by her words. "I hope you're not doing anything stupid Gray," she said in a threatening voice. Since she used her threats as a joke for some time now, the dragon slayer couldn't figure if they ever were really threats.

Despite him and the raven-haired boy knowing she was just joking at this point, they still responded like they did for years, probably just a habit now. His boyfriend, wanting to convince the requip mage he wasn't overexerting himself quietly asked Happy to carry him to the living room. That seemed to satisfy Erza, as she went and sat on a couch next to Gray.

"How are you feeling?" she asked concerned.

"Like I only have one arm to use," the ice-make wizard answered jokingly, then said seriously. "The pain's not that bad right now, and I still haven't taken my pain medication this morning, so I think I'm getting better."

"That's great to hear," the red-haired girl said content. "And in a few days, Wendy can take care of your arm and ribs."

"Yeah," the raven-haired boy replied. "So, why did you come here?" he asked Erza, but it was Natsu who answered.

"Apparently, Juvia said to someone that I'm staying with you, but she forgot to mention that you didn't want your girlfriend to see you looking like this," he said, indicating his boyfriend's body. The two boys chuckled, as the red-haired girl and the blue cat watched them, not knowing what they were laughing about, or what the dragon slayer was talking about. "And people are starting to notice that we're spending more time together than we used to," he added.

"Maybe we should just tell them," Gray said with a conflicting look on his face. Natsu was glad to hear that his boyfriend didn't mind others knowing about them, especially since he didn't know what the ice-make wizard's stand was after Lucy laughed at them, but he knew why he had that look on his face.

"Oh, you intend to walk into the guildhall and announce it to everyone?" the fire mage asked mockingly, knowing there was no way either of them would do that. It seemed like the raven-haired boy hadn't thought of that, seeing as his face paled at the thought.

"Maybe…" the ice-make wizard said after a few seconds, looking at the girl sitting next to him. "Maybe Erza could tell everyone."

"Me?" the red-haired girl asked confused, then she continued, surprised, after a few seconds. "Wait! You want me to tell everyone?" She didn't look like she was unwilling to do it, she just seemed surprised by it.

If it were a normal situation, Natsu would rather be there, but he knew that people would laugh, wouldn't believe it, so he decided that it was better that they not be there. "Yea, he's right. We don't have to be there to listen to them laughing," he said.

"Are you sure?" the requip mage asked. "You know, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to."

"We both know that," the raven-haired boy said. "But I don't want to pretend like everything is like it used to be. I don't want to hide it anymore. If I want to hold Natsu's hand, I want to be able to hold it, and not worry about someone seeing it," the boy continued, and as the red-haired girl looked at the fire mage he nodded, signaling that he agreed with his boyfriend.

"You know, the bad reactions won't go away just because you're not there. Those who'll think this is a joke won't just accept it. I certainly wouldn't without seeing you two together," Erza said.

"At least once we do get there, they'll be able to see and not just laugh," the pink-haired boy replied.

The requip mage nodded. "So, when do you want me to announce it?" she asked.

"Hey!" the boys said at the same time, then Natsu let the ice-make wizard continue since they were clearly thinking the same thing. "You don't have to announce it. Just… tell it to someone… I don't know… yeah, tell Mira and tell her not to say anything to anyone. That way, everyone will learn it by the end of the day."

"If that's what you want…" the red-haired girl said. She looked like she really wanted to 'announce' it. Was she thinking it would be like a play?

Initially coming just to tell them about the developments in the guild, she ended up staying there, first because Natsu went shopping, then they ate breakfast, then she wanted to entertain Gray (so he wouldn't do anything stupid, she said), and lastly, Natsu asked her to stay with Gray while he cooked lunch (which she was surprised to hear he could do).

He didn't get why she and his boyfriend were so surprised he could cook. He could eat almost constantly, so didn't it make sense he knew how to cook, knew how to satisfy his needs? Of course, he ate lunch and dinner at the guild, but if they didn't go on any jobs, he had meals between them, and that was something that he wasn't eating at the guild.

Erza was surprised to see (as she said) "edible" food, and even more surprised when she tried it, saying it tasted almost as good as a strawberry cake. As they ate, she asked him if he ever tried his hand at baking cakes to which he just shook his head. She requested he make a strawberry cake for her sometime, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as she was. It took him quite a good amount of time to learn what worked with what, and never really doing any deserts, he knew it would be a challenge. It's not like he wouldn't do it just because it was a challenge, but if something like the Tartaros, or the invasion keeps coming for them every once in a while, he just wouldn't have the time.

After they were done eating, Erza said that it was time for her to go. She had to go spread some rumors, and she said she'd like to check on Wendy. So, after spending some six hours with the red-haired girl, the boys and the cat were left alone in the apartment again.

Happy decided that it was time for another Movie Lacrima (apparently, Gray had the same taste in movies as the blue cat), so they settled on the couch and watched another action movie. The pink-haired boy enjoyed watching the movie, but he would have been more than happy just spending time with his boyfriend in silence.

Once the movie was over, the fire mage decided that since the raven-haired boy could walk, even if he was a little dizzy, they should go for a walk. The ice-make wizard couldn't stay cooped up in his apartment constantly for a few days, and fresh air would surely do him some good. Besides, since everyone already knew that Natsu was staying with Gray, and either knew or would know very shortly that they are more than friends, they could walk like a couple not worrying about anyone seeing them. Seeing the ice-make wizard injured, people would just think that he needed to hold onto something not to lose his balance. Even if they had that excuse right now, people would slowly get accustomed to them walking hand in hand, right?

They exited the apartment, Happy flying near them for support. The dragon slayer didn't know why, but him and his blue friend still haven't told the raven-haired boy about Happy's transformation. He guessed that it never came up, the ice-make wizard not asking how or why Carla finally excepted the blue Exceed's advances. He decided that it was time that changed so he spoke.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you walk with us?" he asked. Both his boyfriend and his friend were surprised by the question, the blue cat's small legs making smaller steps than humans', which presented a problem when he tried to follow someone by walking. In a few seconds, Happy realized what he meant, and landed just a few meters in front of them. The fire mage and the cat knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking, which was always good for the pranks they did in pair.

Natsu saw Gray watching the Exceed curiously wanting to see what was going to happen. He seemed disappointed when the cat just waited for them to reach him, and then started walking with them, running every now and then to catch up to them. The ice-make wizard turned towards the pink-haired boy with a questioning look on his face.

"Happy, why don't you tell Gray how you finally managed to get Carla to go out with you," the fire mage said, pretending not to notice his boyfriend's expression.

"Aye, sir!" the Exceed said in his normal voice. "Like this," he said after he transformed, as the raven-haired boy still looked at the dragon slayer. While Happy was in his human form his voice changed a little. It wasn't enough to not know who was talking, but it was different enough for the ice-make wizard to turn around, wondering who was talking.

Seeing a blue haired boy walking next to him, he looked behind, looking for the cat. After his brain processed that the boy next to him had blue cat ears and a blue tail, Gray looked like he realized that the boy was actually Happy.

As his boyfriend turned towards his blue friend, Natsu couldn't see his expression anymore. "How long have you been practicing that for?" the raven-haired boy asked, wonder in his voice.

"Natsu and I did it yesterday," the Exceed answered.

"You and-" the ice-make wizard started, but was interrupted.

"Gray… I thought I told you not to do anything stupid," Erza's voice was heard.

The fire mage's boyfriend turned to face him but was met with the red-haired girl. The raven-haired boy looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin, but he seemed to connect the dots, and realizing who the red-haired girl actually was, just said, "Bastard."

Gray looked like he just solved some big problem, but he soon looked embarrassed by whatever he was thinking about, and as Natsu asked him what the look on his face was, the ice-make wizard wouldn't answer. They walked a few moments in silence, before the raven-haired boy said that he should learn Transformation Magic too. "It will be useful in the future," he just said. Since the fire mage didn't know what he meant by that, nor looked like he'd be willing to answer what he meant, he didn't press for an answer.

They walked to the river, to the place where they used to fight all the time. There they sat down, recovering from half an hour of walking through the town they did. Of course, none of them were tired, but Gray's dizziness intensified, and they decided that stopping for some time, and sitting down would be for the best. At this point, Happy decided to revert back to his cat self, saying he didn't want to repeat what happened the day before. He said he stayed transformed for too long, spending all of his Magic Power, and he couldn't even fly afterwards.

They were sitting there for about as long as they walked, before the ice-make wizard said he thought he'd be able to walk home. As he stood up, he said he felt like he could go for another half hour walk, but the dragon slayer didn't want to risk it, so they headed for the apartment.

About a minute or two from Gray's apartment, the pink-haired boy stopped them. "Juvia's stalking your apartment again. Can you make it to my house?" the dragon slayer asked. They weren't in the same street as the entrance to his boyfriend's apartment, so she didn't see them.

The raven-haired wizard didn't look very pleased by the fact that the blue-haired woman wouldn't leave him alone. "Yeah, I can walk that long," he said.

"Do you think she heard we're together?" the fire mage asked, wondering if that was the reason, or if the girl was just her usual stalkerish self.

"She could have, but who knows with that… girl," the ice-make wizard said, pausing a little before saying "girl" The pink-haired boy knew exactly what would go there. "Crazy."

"Well, I stayed at your place for a day, so it's only fair you stay at mine," Natsu said, looking for something positive in the girl's stalking. "At least I've kept it clean since Lucy cleaned it," he added.

"It's clean?" the raven-haired boy asked dubiously. His boyfriend had only ever been to his house a few times, and each of those times was before Lucy cleaned it. Since she did that, the dragon slayer felt it his duty to keep it that way. He created some habits, like cleaning dishes after he ate, making his bed every morning and so on. With them he managed to keep his house fairly clean.

"You'll see when we get there."

"Wait, don't you have a hammock? Where am I going to sleep?" the ice-make wizard asked.

"Oh, we expanded the house a little, so now there's a bed."

They reached the house, just as Gray's dizziness was getting worse. Natsu immediately lowered his boyfriend on the couch once they entered the house. He made tea for the three of them, and as they sat drinking it, the raven-haired boy said he wanted to play some of their games.

The dragon slayer knew that the ice-make wizard and the Exceed played some of them the day before, but since he always thought that others would see their games as stupid, he didn't expect someone to ask to play it. He and his blue friend always had fun playing them, so he didn't have to be convinced to play.

Even though the last two days weren't as adventurous as the pink-haired boy's job and brawl filled ones usually were, he quite liked them. He wouldn't mind spending all of his days like that, no one endangering them (except maybe Juvia), no obligations to do something. It was perfect.

* * *

Natsu was glad so few people knew where his house was.

When they woke up that morning, Gray had asked him if he could get some of his stuff from his apartment. Since the fire mage was going into town anyway, he decided to go buy a few things. With a bag in one hand, he headed for the apartment.

Focusing on his senses, he smelled the blue-haired girl stalking his boyfriend's apartment a lot sooner than the day before. Deciding to get a little closer, maybe find a window through which he could enter the apartment without being seen by the girl, he carefully approached the corner, and looked around it.

Seeing half a dozen of his guildmates, with Juvia sneaking around somewhere, he knew that Mira spread the rumors. He wasn't sure the white-haired girl would do it, being afraid of him and all, but apparently, rumors were more important than her fear.

Why were they just standing in front of the entrance? He understood that people would want to ask them for confirmation of the rumors, maybe come laugh at them, saying they didn't know what they were talking about, but why didn't they go in, or if they did, why were they there when it would be clear that the boys weren't.

Gajeel came from the building in which Gray's apartment was. "I can smell Salamander!" he shouted behind his back, as he headed for where Natsu was. The pink-haired boy hadn't thought that another dragon slayer could be with the mob looking for his boyfriend and him. At least now he could find out if he could really fully transform into someone.

The iron dragon slayer must've been confused as he lost the fire mage's smell, but seeing him coming around the corner, Natsu knew he hadn't stopped his search for him. Gajeel was surprised when he found a certain red-haired girl in front of him. "Are you looking for Gray?" he asked, pretending to just be checking on the ice-make wizard, but half a dozen people behind him weren't exactly selling his story. "He's not home."

The fire dragon slayer knew Mira would most often not tell who told her something when she spread the rumors so as far as anyone knew, it wasn't Erza who told everyone about him and the raven-haired boy. He had to watch to act according to how everyone thought the real Erza would. "What are you doing here?" the pink-haired boy asked in the requip mage's body and voice.

Gajeel, seeing his story not working, abandoned all pretense. "Are you cooking for them!?" he asked, looking disgusted and angry after he saw the bag in his hand. Was that disgust and anger there at the thought of the two boys being together? Before Natsu could answer, the iron dragon asked another question. "Where's Natsu's house?" he asked threateningly.

It was clear how Erza would react in this situation, and luckily, it would end their interaction there. Putting on his best Erza stare, he spoke. "Do you have a problem?" he asked in the red-haired girl's characteristically deep, threatening voice. It worked, Gajeel turning white, realizing what he just did. The people behind him were just as scared, those who thought that they weren't seen started to sneak off.

"It was just a joke," the iron dragon slayer said, laughing nervously.

"You should refrain from joking about my friends," the fire mage said, turning and leaving his guildmates behind.

Natsu kept his focus on his senses, wanting to make sure he wasn't followed, keeping his Erza disguise until he even forgot that he was the red-haired girl. While he could never be sure in the town, since his house was in the forest, he could be absolutely certain no one was following him. He wasn't able to get anything from his boyfriend's apartment, so he went shopping again, buying a toothbrush, and a few other things that Gray said he needed.

Making his way home, he smelled the requip mage, and he realized he was still transformed. Changing back, he continued toward his house. He was a few minutes from his home, when he realized that he still smelled Erza, and there was someone else's smell. It was Wendy.

Did that mean she went there to heal Gray? That's what the dragon slayer thought as he hurried home. Entering the house quietly, in case the sky dragon slayer really was healing his boyfriend, he only found Erza in the first room. The door to his bedroom was closed, and he guessed Wendy and the ice-make wizard were there. If the blue-haired girl was there, that meant Carla probably came too, and she and Happy went somewhere.

Before he had a chance to say anything, the red-haired girl spoke. "Wendy's healing Gray," she said simply. As he nodded, she spoke up hesitatingly. "Hey, Natsu…" she said quietly, the fire mage looking at her. "I still haven't told this to Gray, but I don't think people are taking the whole you and Gray together thing well."

She would have probably continued, explaining what she meant, but the pink-haired boy spoke. "I know. I saw Gajeel and a few others," he said.

His words seemed to alarm the requip mage. "What did they say to you?" she asked, sounding afraid.

"They didn't talk to me, they talked to you," the fire mage said, transforming for a moment to show the girl what he meant. She didn't look all that surprised, so he continued. "Anyway, their faces told me enough. Is that how everyone's reacting?"

"I don't know why, but I think Gajeel's reaction is as bad as it gets. He says it's because you rejected his girlfriend's best friend for someone you can't even fuck, as he said, but that's not his true reason, and I don't know what is. Anyway, there are a few others like Mirajane, surprisingly Laxus and Freed and Levy, which is why I know Gajeel's lying, who said that it's your lives and your decision. Most of the people still disapprove, but with all of the S-class wizards (except Gildarts, who doesn't know, since he's not in Magnolia) behind you, I don't think anyone will do anything stupid. So, I think you'll be fine coming to the guild."

The questions he had, the questions he would have asked, had to wait, because the door to his bedroom opened. The sky dragon slayer came out of the room first, the ice-make wizard slowly following behind. The pink-haired boy went to help his boyfriend, seeing him walking like he was still dizzy, which was odd since the sky dragon slayer should have healed him.

"He's not fully healed," the blue-haired girl said before he could say anything. "I can't heal a concussion, so time will have to take care of that, and I mostly mended his arm and ribs, but he should still take it easy for a few more days."

Putting an arm around the raven-haired boy, he asked, "But the cast can go off?" It was stupid, but that cast was a constant reminder that the two boys weren't just idling around, but that one of them was injured. Sure, Gray had to take it easy a little longer, but most of his injuries were healed.

"There shouldn't be any problem with it taken off," the little girl said smiling. Was she one of those few who thought that it was their lives, or maybe she was young enough not to care or know about what was normal, natural, but just be glad they were in love? Either way, she looked genuinely happy with Natsu helping Gray, and Gray giving him a look that said he was thankful, but so much more too.

He would have to tell his boyfriend what Erza had said, how others had reacted and are reacting, but for now, he lowered him on a couch, and served some drinks for their guests.


	26. Confrontation

**Chapter 26: Confrontation**

Gray knew that visit to the guild would be the worst one they'd ever have. Yesterday, Wendy said he should still take it easy for a few days, but they had to get it over with. If Gajeel and the mob he mobilized found them, who knew how things would play out, while they knew that nobody would outright attack them in the guildhall. That was Natsu's biggest concern.

As they were walking towards where their guildmates awaited, the ice-make wizard was holding his boyfriend's hand. Maybe he would have been holding it no matter what his health was, but at that moment, he was holding it because he started feeling dizzy. Because of his still weakened state from the accident, the fire mage was concerned about what would happen if they met Gajeel's mob without the support of at least Erza. Of course, the fire dragon slayer could fight them all off, but the raven-haired boy would barely be able to defend himself.

He had his arm in a cast for just a few days, yet he could fell that the speed with which he could move it wasn't as fast as it used to be. But what was worse was that the pain medication he was taking was slowing down his reaction time and sedating him to the point where, although he could think clearly, his magic was nowhere near the level it should have been. Saying he could defend himself was probably too optimistic.

"Gajeel's coming," the pink-haired boy said. That is what they wanted to avoid, but being about five minutes from the guild, they wouldn't be able to.

A minute passed, before they heard the iron dragon slayer's voice behind them. "Salamander!" he shouted.

The two boys started turning around. Since they were holding hands because Gray wasn't sure if he could stand on his own or not, they were turning around their clasped hands. They were standing so that the ice-make wizard was between the dragon slayers when he saw it. Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club was heading straight for him.

That's when Natsu saw it too, the raven-haired boy knew, because flames encompassed them. Everything happened so fast that after the fire stopped the club, all Gray managed to see was the look of horror on the iron dragon slayer's face.

"You have five minutes to apologize, or I'll burn you alive," the pink-haired boy said in a dangerous voice. Maybe it could have been taken as a joke, but the ice-make wizard saw the look on his boyfriend's face, and it was far from a joking expression. It surprised even Gray.

People died when they fought, especially when they were coming to kill them, but none of the Fairy Tail wizards ever went into a fight intending to kill someone. Yet there was no mistaking it here. Natsu was serious about what he said.

Apparently, there was no mistaking it only for him, because Gajeel didn't take it seriously. With a smug expression on his face, the iron dragon slayer snorted, clearly not convinced by the fire mage's words. The mob he mobilized was standing behind him, not wanting to abandon him, but not wanting to be on the receiving end of the fire dragon slayer's anger.

At that moment, the flames that up to that moment were only at the tip of the club, holding it in place, started going up the metal. Even though it didn't wipe that smug look off his face, it made Gajeel panic, even if only a little, as he started to struggle to get his club out of the fire. It didn't do any good, flames holding it in place, slowly spreading.

Soon after that, the iron dragon slayer realized that the pink-haired boy wasn't joking, the metal beneath the fire turning red. At that point, he really started to panic, using all his strength to try to pull his club out of the flames. Seeing it didn't move at all, he tried to free his iron arm using other attacks at his disposal.

None of the attacks had any effect, flames covering the two boys deflecting them all. Whether it was because Natsu wanted to give Gajeel hope, or he just didn't bother to show him how hopeless his struggling truly was, none of his other attacks were consumed by fire, as his first one was.

The look the fire mage had on his face was as dangerous as it was when that whole thing started. Gray tried to think back to the time, to the situation where he saw a look that dangerous on his boyfriend, but he came up empty. Was it wrong that he felt glad the pink-haired boy got this angry because he was in danger, even though he knew that the anger he would feel if his boyfriend were in danger would likely be just as strong as this? Was that another manifestation of their love, being angrier because the person you love was in danger, then you could be if you yourself were in danger?

Gray turned his attention back to the situation unfolding before his eyes, only to hear Gajeel's nervous laughter. "Come on, Salamander, can't you take a joke…" Natsu just kept staring at the iron dragon slayer who tried to convince them that it was all a joke.

"Was that why you were looking for my house yesterday?" the fire dragon slayer asked, getting annoyed with the excuse of it being "just a joke".

"That bitch!" Gajeel said, probably trying to keep it quiet so they wouldn't be able to hear, but not managing it. "So, she went and told you everything, did she?" By his tone of voice, it was clear that he felt for Erza exactly what he felt for the boys.

"She didn't have to tell us anything. I was there," the pink-haired boy answered.

"I knew I smelled you yesterday, Salamander! So where were you hiding?" the iron dragon slayer practically growled.

"Should you really be thinking about that now?" the fire mage asked, looking at the fire on the iron. "But if you really want to know…" he said, transforming into Erza for a second, before he returned back to his own body.

Gray knew exactly what happened the day before, so he wasn't surprised when Gajeel became angry. It was magic, but getting tricked by it, especially with his heightened dragon slayer senses, he was angry at himself for not seeing through it.

Natsu gave the iron dragon slayer five minutes to apologize, and judging by how far the flames reached, he only had about a minute left. That didn't go unnoticed by Gajeel, but he didn't look like he could do what the pink-haired boy asked him to do, even if he tried.

Luckily for the iron dragon slayer, he didn't have to do what was asked of him. The fire mage released the other dragon slayer, and the two boys holding hands started back to the guild.

The ice-make wizard would probably ask his boyfriend why the sudden change (he didn't look like he would back down), but he knew that Gajeel would hear their conversation, and they had enough of the iron dragon slayer for the day.

As Natsu sped up, Gray had to lean more heavily on him, his dizziness intensifying. The fire mage knew that the raven-haired boy was dizzy, even put an arm around him, holding him up, but whatever made him get away from Gajeel and his mob, made him continue onward.

"Sorry, Juvia was coming," the fire dragon slayer whispered, knowing they were far enough from the other dragon slayer, that he couldn't hear them. Gray didn't want to see her, just as much as his boyfriend didn't. He had known Gajeel would probably be the one to try to attack them physically or something, but there was no doubt in his mind that the blue-haired woman would be the one to try to convince them they didn't feel what they knew they felt for each other. There was no way she would be able to convince them, and when she saw that, she would resort to insults. They could defend from Gajeel's attacks (at least Natsu could right now), but there was nothing they could do against Juvia's words. Nothing but having to listen to her.

What was supposed to be a five-minute walk toward the guild, with the fire mage's quick pace, turned into a two minute one. All the walking, standing and arguing made not only the ice-make wizard's dizziness worse, but also his headache. He was still taking his pain medication in the morning, and sometime in the afternoon, even though, most of the time, there was only mild pain.

Everything that happened made his head hurt just like that night after the accident, when he woke up, so it took him a couple of minutes (first because of the dizziness, then because of the headache) to see and realize that they were in the guild.

The silence that was currently in the guild, must've began when they entered, seeing as everyone was staring at the two boys. Ordinarily, the two of them would be sitting across from each other, but this time, and hopefully from that day forward, the pink-haired boy sat next to him. Although the fire dragon slayer removed an arm from around Gray (probably when he put him on the bench), he was still holding his hand. Their clasped hands were being held beneath the table, but with nobody sitting across from them, it was likely half the people in the room saw it.

Looks they got from most of their guildmates weren't all that different from the looks they got from Gajeel and his mob. Speaking of, the iron dragon slayer wasn't in the guild, and the raven-haired boy guessed he wasn't coming, since he had more than enough time to get there.

The ice-make wizard didn't know what kind of an expression was on his face (he still hadn't fully recovered from the headache and dizziness), but his boyfriend was looking at everyone defiantly, challenging someone to say something. Whether it was their fear of the pink-haired boy (whom people obviously began noticing hadn't change, given Gajeel's attack), or the knowledge that they'd have to deal not only with the two boys, but with Erza as well, nobody said anything.

Maybe the red-haired girl also waited for someone to say something, wanting to see if anyone would, because it had been about five minutes since they entered the room, before she came, and sat across from them. The celestial wizard came with her, and she sat next to the requip mage. The silence in the guild was broken, people starting back conversations, but most of them were in whispers, most of the people's attention on the table where they sat.

"How are you feeling Gray?" the red-haired girl asked. Gray was confused that both of the girls were looking at him worriedly, which must've showed on his face. "You look pale," she explained.

"Oh," he said, understanding what she meant. "I guess I still haven't recovered from the accident," he answered her, which only made her look more worried.

"Shouldn't you visit a doctor? I mean, it's been three days since the accident. Maybe they missed something when they were examining you, Erza said.

"You were there. The doctor said I should come back if I'm not feeling any better, and I am. I think it'll just take more time to recover, that's all. There are just some things that need time," the ice-make wizard said, looking around the guild meaningfully.

Most of the attention was still on them. Everyone probably though that they were subtle, thinking their looks wouldn't be caught, but there was no chance of that, at least not for the targets of their stares.

After returning her gaze to the teammates sitting across from her, Erza spoke up. "At least nobody did or said anything," she said, trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah, cause they're all afraid of you and Natsu, but you can see by their looks exactly what they think about it. Besides, the two who will definitely do something aren't even here," the raven-haired boy answered, not knowing if he would rather have people say something, or let them be afraid and quiet. Speaking of quiet, the boy sitting next to him hadn't said a word since they entered the guild, and looking at him, Gray saw him staring intently at the door. "What's wrong Natsu?" he asked, seeing the concern on his boyfriend's face.

When the pink-haired boy turned to face him, the ice-make wizard knew what was going on, even before his boyfriend opened his mouth. "She's coming," the fire mage said, confirming Gray's suspicion. The girls didn't immediately get who they were talking about, but from the conversation they had with Gray, and the expressions the boys were putting on, getting ready for Juvia, it didn't take the girls long to figure it out.

The next minute, the blue-haired woman stood at the entrance, looking around at all the people in the guild. Gray was just waiting for her eyes to find him, and for her to start shouting "Gray-sama" or some such nonsense. Her eyes were slowly going from the other end of the guild, so slowly in fact that it looked like she was trying to memorize every person in the hall.

Finally, her eyes reached the final table, the table around which team Natsu was sitting around. She stared at them for a few moments, just like she had at the people around every table, and then, to everyone's surprise, she went to the bar. Maybe it was just his imagination, but to him it looked like the woman was looking at his boyfriend. She must've met Gajeel on her way here and he told her what happened.

If that's the case, would she be waiting for a time when he's alone, without Natsu, before she did anything? Sure, he was still recovering from the accident, and the pink-haired boy probably wouldn't be leaving his side until he recovered, but he didn't want to face Juvia alone. He would rather have the fire dragon slayer by his side, supporting him, than talk to the crazy blue-haired woman alone. Who knows what she may try if they talked alone?

"Do you think she talked to Gajeel?" Natsu asked, probably thinking the same thing Gray was.

"Gajeel?" Lucy asked from across the table.

"Gajeel was…" the two boys started talking at the same time, neither wanting to think about the crazy woman. The boys shared a looked, each telling the other to continue, even though no words were spoken.

In the end, it was Natsu who told the girls what had happened, while Gray used that time to rest his head on the table in front of him. It wasn't long before he raised his head from the table, looking at his boyfriend.

Even though the incident was done and over for Gray, it obviously wasn't for Natsu. While the raven-haired boy rested his head on the table, his boyfriend's hand in his wasn't squeezing his hand in anger, there was no anger in his boyfriend's voice. What the ice-make wizard did feel thought, was the temperature emanating from the fire mage. Gray was sure that the room temperature increased for a few degrees too.

As he looked at his boyfriend, Gray saw Natsu's face held an angry expression, and, as he continued to recount the events that transpired on their way to the guild, his tone was turning just as angry.

The pink-haired boy was just talking about how Gajeel attacked them, when the ice-make wizard noticed that the last persons that were watching them turned back to their own conversations. It wasn't weird everyone turned their attention from their table. Natsu's anger could be felt. Literally.

This autumn morning was cold, especially compared to the temperatures during the afternoon, but that wasn't true for the guildhall anymore. Natsu, even with the doors to the guild opened, turned the room into a sauna. It was to be expected for people to be afraid. Most of them were, maybe not as much as in the beginning, still afraid of Natsu's demon power, and since the people there didn't know what the teammates were talking about, everyone probably thought the dragon slayer was angry at them, and their reactions to the boys' relationship.

The girls just listened to the story, visibly sweating (just like everyone else in the guild) because of the high temperature, but not interrupting the pink-haired boy. It was probably for the best to get that anger out of his system, and since this way nobody would be hurt, it was the best way to do it.

During the story, the people that couldn't stand the heat left the guild. Among those people was Juvia, leaving as her water body steamed. Those that stayed, as they figured the dragon slayer wasn't angry because of anything they did, began casting glances their way.

Gray was irritated by his guildmates and their reaction. Weren't your friends and family supposed to be happy for you if you find something (or in this case, someone) that makes you happy? There were only a few people there genuinely happy for the two of them, while the others sent condemning glances their way, condemning them for something that had absolutely no connection to any of them.

However, the ice-make wizard could do nothing else than be irritated. It wasn't like either of them expected anything better, and at least some people there acted like friends should.

Natsu ended his story, by the end realizing he was emitting immense heat and calmed down, not that the temperature in the guild decreased. The girls that listened to the story didn't seem to be surprised by the events that transpired just a while ago.

Even though the fire mage calmed down enough to have full control of his power, his face still held an angry expression. "Gajeel always resorts to violence," Erza said, adding quietly, "just like you used to," then continuing normally, "but he's not stupid. He knows when he's out of his league, so he'll leave you alone from now on,

Whatever the red-haired girl meant to accomplish with that statement, she failed, seeing as it had no effect on Natsu, so the celestial wizard spoke up. "Erza's right," Lucy said, nodding her head. "And besides, once everyone sees that you make each other happy, there won't be anything they can complain about. They'll see that whatever they feel about it doesn't matter. Once they see how happy you are… So Natsu," the blond girl said, looking the dragon slayer directly in his black eyes, "are you showing them how happy you are?"

Lucy words didn't seem to have the desired effect either. His boyfriend's angry expression was replaced with a surprised one. But, it didn't take him long to process those words, and once he did, a fangful smile surfaced on his tanned face, along with a squeeze of his hand.

It still surprised Gray how fast the pink-haired boy's mood could change, but he looked at it from the positive side: He could always bring that beautiful smile on his boyfriend's face.

With that brilliant smile, most of the people who turned to glance at them, were turning back with smiles on their faces. Maybe it was only Gray who loved the person behind that smile that way, but there wasn't anyone in the guild who wasn't saved by that boy, in one way or another.

During their harshest battles, during the times when there was no hope, without being a guildmaster, without being an S-class wizard, only being his squinty-eyed, flame-brained usual self, Natsu was the one who made them go forward. His unbreakable determination was constantly pushing them and that smile always accompanied it, so there was no way anyone could see that smile without remembering all of those moments the person to whom it belonged, helped them.

Of course, it wasn't like the people would change their opinion of the boys' relationship in a day, but Lucy was right. Everyone will see that what they feel about it doesn't matter.

Since coming to the guildhall, Gray didn't know how to talk to Natsu. Logically, he knew their relationship hasn't change so much that they'd be speaking to each other any differently than they used to (except for a lot less nicknames and fights), but now that everyone knew they were together, it felt like he had to watch his every word. Luckily, his boyfriend didn't seem to have that problem, acting like there wasn't anyone around, while Gray could barely stay calm with them holding hands so publicly.

The dragon slayer turned to his boyfriend, opening his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Lucy, who spoke. "So, do you have any plans for today?"

It looked like the celestial wizard wanted them to hang out, seeing as her face dropped as Natsu began reciting "Gray's recovery schedule" which he came up with at some point. The pink-haired boy claimed it was just enough rest and exercise for the ice-make wizard to recover, sounding as confident as if he were a doctor.

There wasn't any reason for the raven-haired boy to complain to that schedule since there really wasn't anything he could or wanted to do that wasn't in it. There were walks, games, movies, and of course, Natsu's homemade food, claiming food was the most important thing while recovering, which Gray couldn't deny, especially since he tasted his boyfriend's food.

The ice-make wizard apparently wasn't the only one who loved the fire-mage's food, seeing as Erza's face lit up at the mention of it. The red-haired girl asked if the girls could spend the day with them, whispering something to the celestial wizard as she gave her a questing look, earning her only a dubious look from the blond girl.

Whether Natsu heard what Erza whispered or not, he answered, "Sure!" with a smile still on his face.

Gray saw his boyfriend already preparing to leave, even though they arrived around fifteen minutes before. Sure, there wasn't any reason to go to the guild except to get coming to the guild for the first time since everyone knew about them out of the way, but the ice-make wizard felt like they didn't accomplish anything. Everyone was too afraid to say or do anything, and the raven-haired boy knew that they would have the same welcome they got today, the next time they came there.

Natsu slowly started to stand up, giving enough time for Gray to follow his movements. With team Natsu leaving the guildhall, the ice-make wizard knew that nothing was resolved that day. Whatever Erza may think, or may have said, there was no way Gajeel would back down. In addition to the iron dragon slayer and his mob, there was Juvia.

Yea… This confrontation wasn't over yet.


	27. The Nightmare

I gotta say, I wasn't expecting people to still subscribe to this story two years after the last update. And, I couldn't bring myself to continue working on this story as intensely as I did that summer two years ago. So, with every mail I got about a follower or a review, I worked a bit on the story. Now, including this one, I have 6 and a half chapters written, with the last one being the end of the story. I'll finish the story and along the way go through the previous chapters to rewrite anything I don't like. Don't worry though, I won't change anything story related.

So, if you're still interested in this story, enjoy. The next upload will happen on 26th, Monday.

* * *

 **Chapter 27: The Nightmare**

It was the middle of the night. Natsu and his boyfriend were sleeping in his room, Happy joining them. His blue friend rarely joined him in his sleep these days. It was as much for his sake, as it was for his friend's, the pink-haired boy thought, but he was sure the cat liked seeing both boys happy, so he wouldn't miss a moment he could spend with them, even if they were all asleep. Natsu really loved his blue friend, even more so because of little things like that, though later he regretted having Happy there.

Since the accident, since seeing all the blood, all the lifeless bodies, lifeless eyes staring at him, seeing the people whose lives should have continued, dead, his constant nightmares came back, maybe even worse than they were before. He was already getting used to them, and with Gray being injured, he wasn't surprised that his boyfriend hadn't noticed it so far.

The dream began just as all his other ones did for the past two months. He was home, with his family, sitting at the table. They were talking, laughing, and at that moment Natsu was just a young boy with no memory of anything but that moment.

The scene soon began to shift. Just as in all his previous nightmares, he started shouting. Right then, he didn't know why he didn't want to leave that place. He couldn't imagine leaving Gray, not when he finally figured what his feelings were, not when he told them to the raven-haired boy, not when he learned his friend felt the same, not when he had the best person in the world by his side, as his boyfriend.

Maybe he wanted to tell them that even though he lost them, even though he lost every reason to continue with his life, he kept struggling, living day after day in misery, finding new people to love, new people that loved him, people that slowly filled the hole the deaths of these people created. He wanted to tell them about his guildmates, about Wendy and Carla, about Erza, about Lucy, about Happy. He definitely wanted to tell them about Gray, knowing that they wouldn't care they were both boys. Knowing they would love his boyfriend just as much as they loved him.

Still, it didn't matter what he wanted. His darkest memories, his saddest moments, his greatest fears ruled there, and they were ruthless rulers. And so, the peaceful scene was lost, being replaced with some horror he already saw.

This time, he was surrounded by fields of dead bodies, bodies of everyone dead he felt responsible for. He couldn't make out a lot of faces, but there were people he did, people he saw in masks of his different enemies. Alvarez empire soldiers, Avatar cultists… What he could clearly see were the dead stares on each face, blood covering every body. Since the accident he couldn't help but see the blood, the dead stares.

He knew it wasn't real, it was just a dream, just a nightmare, but he knew why he was seeing that. Even though Gray told him it wasn't his fault, that no matter what he changed this could've happened, he still blamed himself.

Standing there, surrounded by that horror, he knew how he should feel. The pink-haired boy knew he should be sad, afraid, disgusted… by what he saw, and he did feel it, but he also felt himself slowly getting numb to it. That, more than anything else, terrified him. He would rather live though this every night, feeling everything bad he ever felt, than live his life without any feelings. If he just felt the love he felt, he could go through this every night.

The scene began shifting again, and although he didn't want to see anything else, he had no say in it.

Before his eyes, Natsu saw what was always the last thing he saw in his nightmares: His dead brother lying in the Fairy Tail guildhall. The pink-haired boy tried to ignore the blood covering his brother's body, dead eyes, as black as his, staring at him, as he sat down.

He was quiet for a long time. When he finally realized that tears were running down his face, he thought he was ready. All the things he wanted to say to his family, all the memories he had to share, all the people he wanted them to know about, they could all wait. There was something far more important he needed to tell them, needed to tell his brother, something he never got a chance to say. "Thank… you," he said, barely able to get the words out before he started crying. However much suffering Zeref brought, however many people died because of him, the black wizard was the one that brought Natsu back, the one that helped Natsu meet all the people in his life.

Just a second before the dream ended, the pink-haired boy felt something he hadn't felt before. He felt someone watching him, and he remembered that he felt that since the dream began. It felt like someone was there, in his dream, and he started to feel its presence. Something evil was watching him, and for a reason he couldn't put his finger on, he was afraid of it.

Before he could figure anything else out, he woke up. He woke up with a start, knowing, or maybe feeling, something was wrong.

* * *

Gray woke up sometime in the night. He didn't know what exactly woke him up, but he opened his eyes to check if everything was alright. He could feel the dragon slayer's hand in his, but as he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his boyfriend's blue friend sleeping tightly. He turned his head and looked at the pink-haired boy. The boy was looking at him.

"Can't sleep?" the raven-haired boy asked quietly so he wouldn't wake up the blue cat. As he was looking at his boyfriend, he saw that something was wrong. Besides the boy not answering, his eyes were wide with fear, unfocused. The ice-make wizard hadn't noticed it at first since it was still pretty dark.

"Natsu?" he asked a little louder, squeezing his boyfriend's hand. There was still no answer from the boy, so Gray put his other hand on the boy's shoulder and shook him a little. Maybe he used more force than he thought since he saw the cat stirring, waking up.

It only took Happy a few moments to sense that something was wrong, seeing as he asked, "What's wrong?" By now the raven-haired boy was no longer lying on the bed. He was sitting up and getting closer to the dragon slayer, trying to wake him up.

As the blue cat got up, the pink-haired boy woke up screaming. Gray remembered Happy telling him how the dragon slayer woke up screaming after the invasion. He remembered thinking how he didn't hear him waking up like that when they were together, thinking how his boyfriend must've been doing better. Now he wasn't so sure anymore.

The scream filled the room. Natsu's arms flailed about, trying to grab onto anything that was close enough, that being the raven-haired boy. Gray already had one hand around the pink-haired boy, and as the boy's other hand freed, he put it around his boyfriend and pulled him closer. No one was saying anything.

As the raven-haired boy slowly realized that everything's gonna be alright, he cursed himself for not noticing that something was wrong with his boyfriend sooner. Maybe it was their fight with Gajeel yesterday, or the way everyone at the guild was looking at them. Maybe it was the things his boyfriend saw during the accident, the events he still wouldn't talk about, or maybe he never really got better since the invasion. It didn't matter to Gray. What matter to him was that the person this close to him was suffering and he didn't even notice it.

The boy in his arms was shaking. The ice-make wizard was surprised to realize his boyfriend wasn't crying. He only remembered Natsu crying a few times before the last few months, and he couldn't blame the boy for crying, considering everything he went through. Gray remembered the boy crying while telling him what nightmares he had to live through each night. But now, he wasn't crying; He was shaking with fear.

"Natsu," the raven-haired boy said quietly, tenderly. The boy whose name he said just pulled his legs as close to his chest as he could, making himself as small as he could. "Natsu, what's wrong?"

Gray noticed that while his boyfriend wasn't crying, the blue cat was. He didn't know if the Exceed was worried something was wrong or if he was crying because of the state he saw his best friend in, but the ice-make wizard raised one of his arms, signaling the cat to come closer. Happy went and snuggled close to Gray and Natsu.

The pink-haired boy was still shaking, holding onto Gray as tight as he could. The raven-haired boy decided to let his boyfriend speak when he was ready, holding him in his arms, saying some words here and there just to let him know that he was there.

* * *

Natsu heard his boyfriend's question. He might've answered it, but he didn't know what was wrong. He was afraid of something, but he didn't know of what. He tried to get his body under control, tried to stop his shaking, but however much he tried, nothing would stop it.

The pink-haired boy still remembered his dream. He remembered feeling as if someone was watching him, and he being afraid of it. But that was a dream, and now he was awake. Why was he still afraid?

As if he didn't have enough things he had to worry about, now he even began imagining things. He wished he could just get over all the bad things that happened to him, wished he could just live a happy life from then on. After everything he went through, didn't he deserve a happy life?

At least fifteen minutes went by before his shaking lessened, and through his boyfriend's arms that were holding him, he knew Gray noticed it too. His boyfriend hadn't asked him anything since the first few questions after he woke up, probably waiting for him to talk, and Natsu didn't know how to explain what was going on.

"You know you can tell me anything," his boyfriend finally said.

"I know," Natsu answered after a few moments of silence. Of course he knew that. What he didn't know was what to say. "But I don't know what's wrong," he finally said, still having his face buried in Gray's chest.

"Are you alright?" the raven-haired boy asked him.

"Yea," he answered, lifting his head from his boyfriend's chest, looking him in the eyes. After a few seconds, he asked, frustrated, "What's wrong with me?" He was sick and tired of everything he had to go through. For every happy memory, he seemed to get two sad ones, for every good thing that happened to him, he had to suffer through two bad ones.

Gray lowered his head on top of the pink-haired boy's. "Nothing," he said quietly. "You're perfect." Natsu wasn't sure he could get through all of this without his boyfriend there. He knew there were other people in his life that would help him, that would comfort him if he needed them to, but when the words came from the person he loved like that, they were more powerful than anything else.

Still, he couldn't agree with his boyfriend. "I'm not perfect," he said. "I'm damaged. I can't even get through the night without any nightmares. I ca-" he tried to continue, but was interrupted.

"Hey," the raven-haired boy said, putting his hand on his boyfriend's cheek. "You're not damaged. You're wounded, and wounds heal. But even with your wounds, you're more beautiful than anyone else. I know you'd be there for me, help me get through anything, and I'm here for you. You don't have to go through this alone."

The dragon slayer knew his boyfriend meant everything he said. He knew what Gray thought, how he acted, what he'd say. Yet, maybe because of his fear, or maybe he just wanted to hear it from his boyfriend's mouth, he asked, "What if they don't heal?" It was something he didn't want to think about, but right them, he couldn't see his nightmares ending, couldn't see his life having only happy moments.

"You're really an idiot, flame-brain," the raven-haired boy said, chuckling slightly. "I told you I'll be right here no matter what. I told you you're perfect. I told you that even with your wounds you're more beautiful than anyone else. That won't change, no matter what happens."

Natsu slowly lowered his face, putting his head on his boyfriend's lap. That's when he saw his blue friend. He wasn't sure how much the cat heard, but he probably woke his friend up, when he woke up, seeing as there were tear stains on his face. From what the dragon slayer saw, the Exceed fell back to sleep at some point.

More than anything, that was why he didn't want to go through all of that. He could suffer through the nightmares, if only he could wake up normally, if only he was the only one affected by it, if only he could protect everyone else from it. As it was, he wanted help. He wanted help, not because he couldn't go through it anymore, but because he didn't want the people he loved to go through what he was making them go through.

"Gray?" the pink-haired boy asked after a time.

"Yea Natsu," the raven-haired boy replied, still holding the dragon slayer in his arms.

"Do you…" he started hesitatingly. "Do you think the nightmares will ever stop." Natsu didn't know what exactly he wanted to hear. He knew he didn't want Gray to lie to him, but he also didn't want to hear that he'd have to make people around him suffer forever.

A few moments passed before Gray answered, "I don't know Natsu. We all did some horrible things, mainly during the invasion, but even before that. People died. We never wanted to kill anyone, but it was either them or us. I don't think any one of us can get through that. And you went through so much more."

The silence filled the room. A few moments passed, before the raven-haired boy added, "But, you know, if it's you, I believe they will. You're stronger than anyone else on the whole Earthland. And I'm not talking about your magic. Besides, you have me," Gray said, squeezing his boyfriend's hand and shoulder.

"Thanks Gray," the pink-haired boy said, his head still on his boyfriend's lap.

"What are you thanking me for?" the raven-haired boy asked, chuckling. "I should be thanking you. You're so perfect, so beautiful, and you chose me. I'd do anything to have this, and you didn't even ask me for anything." Maybe there were no words that could describe how either of them felt, but Natsu heard Gray's words, heard what they meant, and heard so much more.

"Now come on," the raven-haired boy continued. "It's the middle of the night. You should go back to sleep. I'll be right here, so don't worry about anything."

"You sleep too," the pink-haired boy said, knowing his boyfriend still hasn't recovered from the accident.

"Of course. But I'll still be here," the boy answered.

After a minute of silence, as Gray thought the boy in his lap was slowly falling in sleep, the pink-haired boy talked again, this time very quietly. "Gray?" The raven-haired boy squeezed his hand, telling him he's right there. With a slightly shaky voice, Gray's beautiful words still in his head, the boy said, "You're perfect too."


	28. Fishing

**Chapter 28: Fishing**

Natsu was the first one to wake up in the morning. Gray, Happy and he were practically sleeping on each other. He remembered that they went to sleep in a not so comfortable positions, but he guessed they shifted during the night. He didn't have another nightmare since he woke up in the night, but he still remembered the one he had before that, though he still didn't know what he was afraid of after waking up.

Instead of having Gray focus on healing, it felt like he was just creating problems for his boyfriend. First their guildmates finding out about them, then everything that happened with Gajeel yesterday, and now his nightmares were getting worse again.

He knew that the raven-haired boy loved him just as much as he loved the boy, and Natsu would do anything for him, he would go through anything. They wanted to protect each other from everything they could, because that was how much they loved each other. But maybe that was the wrong way to think about it.

What did Nydrai and Ulrug say? Soulmates are considered a single person. If that's the case, then maybe them protecting each other from everything wasn't the right choice. Maybe they had to work through everything together. Would that make things easier? Would that help them get through everything?

The pink-haired boy believed that as long as he had Gray, he could do anything. As long as Gray was with him, it didn't matter what else happened. He didn't want to watch Gray suffer alone, and he knew his boyfriend didn't want to watch him suffer. So maybe they really should carry all the burdens they had together.

However much it pained him to admit it, he doubted he could get through what he was going through alone. Maybe he was even leaning on the raven-haired boy since this all started.

Still, what he could do now was help his boyfriend get better. So he slowly, carefully, got out of the bed, making sure not to wake either of the boys still sleeping, and headed for the kitchen after he finished everything in the bathroom. If he kept Gray up at night, at least he would wake him up with the food he said he loved, and hopefully a kiss from his boyfriend that would tell him how thankful he was for everything he did.

Making as little noise as he could (which wasn't his specialty), he tried to make a light breakfast for the three of them. Even though the cat preferred raw fish, for the past few days he was eating with the boys, and an occasional guest they would have. The pink-haired boy didn't know if it was because he wanted to eat with them or because of some other reason, but he liked having Happy eat his food.

After Natsu cooked everything and served it on the table, he quietly went back to his room. The boys were still sleeping, and the pink-haired boy was glad he could go through with his whole plan.

Slowly making his way to his sleeping boyfriend, the dragon slayer walked as lightly as he could. As he reached his destination, he used one of his hands to turn the boy's face towards him. Kneeling next to the bed, slowly lowering his head, he connected his lips to his boyfriend's cold ones.

It only took the boy a few seconds to wake up. "How are you feeling?" the pink-haired boy asked as their kiss ended. He talked quietly, not yet wanting to wake his blue friend up.

Gray, getting the hint, answered just as quietly, "I don't have a headache, so I must be getting better. When did you get up?" he asked, probably worried Natsu didn't sleep since he woke up in the night.

"Don't worry, ice princess. I got my beauty sleep. Though I remember someone telling me I'm beautiful the way I am," the dragon slayer said with a smirk.

The raven-haired boy got a murderous look on his face, making Natsu think he said something wrong, until he spoke, "A love rival?" making both of them laugh quietly, trying not to wake the blue Exceed.

"Come on," the dragon slayer said. "I made us some breakfast," As Gray got out of the bed, Natsu continued. "You go on ahead. I'll wake Happy up. Just take it easy." The raven-haired boy left the room, going for the bathroom.

"Happy," Natsu quietly called as he gently shook his friend. He sat on the bed as he continued to try to wake the Exceed up. "Wake up buddy. It's morning."

"Natsu?" the cat asked a little fearfully, and before he could say anything else, the dragon slayer talked.

"I'm fine buddy," he reassured his friend. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Natsu!" the Exceed called as he went to hug his best friend. "You're really okay, right? You're not hiding anything from me, are you?"

"Yeah buddy, I'm okay."

"I don't want to see you like that," the cat said with tears on his face. It broke Natsu's heart to see how much his friend suffered because of him.

"I'm sorry buddy. I know you don't like to see me like that, but I can't help it."

His friend was quiet for some time, before he asked, "But you'll be okay?"

He wanted to reassure his friend, needed to do it. "I'm gonna be just fine buddy. We fought stronger enemies than some nightmares. And we have Gray now. We'll win this fight, just like we won every other fight."

That seemed to convince his blue friend. Natsu himself probably wouldn't believe he would say something like that after the invasion, after the nightmares started. Back then, he couldn't even hope things would turn out like that. He couldn't hope Gray would have the same feelings for him as he had for the raven-haired boy. He couldn't hope he would have that good a person next to him, helping him whenever he needed help, being there for him for whatever he needed him.

"Do you want to have some breakfast with us buddy?" the pink-haired boy finally asked.

"Aye sir!" the cat answered, still hugging him tightly.

* * *

Gray didn't know what his boyfriend and the blue cat were talking about, but he guessed it had something to do with what happened that night. Natsu was like a father to the Exceed, and seeing the dragon slayer hurting like that, hurt the cat in a way it didn't hurt anyone else. It probably scared the little blue guy, possibly making him think of something happening to his father figure, being left all alone.

The raven-haired wizard waited for the boys at the table. He didn't want to start eating without them, even though the food in front of him looked amazing. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long, and he was glad the boys came to the table with smiles on their faces.

"Morning Happy," Gray said as they came to the table.

"Good morning," the cat said. "Is your head still hurting?"

"No, I'm better now," the raven-haired boy said, brushing the Exceed's worries away.

"That's good," the blue cat said. "Can we go fishing then? We didn't get to fish the last time since you had to go on that job."

"What do you think ice princess? Ready to learn how to take care of yourself?" the pink-haired boy asked jokingly.

"I can take care of myself just fine," Gray answered with a smile on his face. He didn't mention that his "taking care of himself" was more along the lines of getting money and buying meals, then hunting and fishing for food and then cooking it himself, although they all knew it. "But that does sound fun, so I'm in," he added.

"Great! We can go as soon as we eat. I'll borrow you my fishing pole and teach you how to fish," Natsu said enthusiastically, before digging into the food in front of him.

Gray looked at his boyfriend. It still felt so unreal to him. It felt so unreal that this person, this wounded, and yet so perfect person chose him. He would help Natsu carry whatever burden he had to carry, help him get through whatever he went through, because he knew who his boyfriend was beneath all the layers. He knew what and who lay beneath everything, and he loved that core and all the layers that covered it.

* * *

Gray was already getting the hang of fishing. They came to the river about an hour ago, and they already caught enough fishes for their lunch. Despite Natsu's energetic nature, the raven-haired boy found his boyfriend peacefully explaining how to fish. He didn't even look like all that sitting around was killing him, as he usually did.

The three of them were talking quietly, the pink-haired boy saying that if they talked too loudly they'd scare all the fishes away. "How were you even able to learn to fish, with how noisy you are, flame-brain?" the raven-haired boy teased.

"Happy loves it," was all the dragon slayer said. He was looking at his blue friend, the Exceed fishing, a smile on his face, ignoring the whole world. Gray understood his boyfriend. A long time ago he learned that Natsu was capable of anything, especially if it was for his friends. "So," the pink-haired boy finally started. "What do you want to do after lunch?"

"Oh?" Gray asked, feigning surprise. "I thought you had my whole recovery period planned out."

"I do," his boyfriend said with a smile on his face. "But I think you've recovered enough. You said your headache's gone, you haven't felt dizzy at all on the way here, and it's been four days since the accident. Besides, with the way things usually happen around here, don't you think we'd have more fun with something that isn't planned?"

The raven-haired boy understood what the boy next to him was saying. They could rarely plan anything more than the next few hours, and because of that, an ordinary, peaceful life seemed kind of… lacking. Though he was sure neither of them minded it if they could spend it with each other, they joined Fairy Tail not just to be part of that family, but to have adventures.

Before Gray could answer, his boyfriend spoke again, "Speaking of unexpected… Seems Lucy's coming here. To the house to be more precise."

As the pink-haired boy didn't get up, Gray guessed the girl was still a ways away. Natsu seemed to be thinking something over and the raven-haired boy thought he knew what it was. "Do you remember our talk on the way back from our second ten-year job?" His boyfriend nodded, either remembering everything they talked about during those few days, or nodding for him to continue. "Is everything alright between you and Lucy?" he asked concerned.

Natsu clearly remembered what he was aiming at, though judging by the expressions on his face, the boy didn't know why he asked that question now. "You just looked so absorbed in your thoughts," the raven-haired boy explained.

"It's fine," the pink-haired boy answered. "I figured nothing changed between us. I told you back then that I wasn't sure if I could still be friends with her. Well, now I am," his boyfriend said, putting a big grin on his face. "Anyway," he continued more seriously, "I think something's wrong. Lucy's practically running here. Let's go back," he said as he began standing up, offering Gray his hand. "Come on buddy. We have a guest coming," the dragon slayer said in his usually loud voice, snapping the blue cat from his world. It seemed that Happy heard everything they were talking about, seeing as he wasn't asking any questions.

Collecting the fishes they fished and all the gear they brought with them, they headed toward Happy and Natsu's house.

* * *

Lucy was waking up pretty early these days. Just like that day, she had been among the first guild members in the guild the past few days. Since she joined Fairy Tail she's been observing the guild members. It was helping her write better, helping her create characters that felt more real. Still, she normally didn't come this early to the guild. But things were different now.

Since Natsu and Gray's secret came out, no, even before that, since the invasion ended, she saw that the people in her guild changed. Everyone was trying to act like nothing changed, like everything was just the way it was before, but all of them knew that things changed. After all the stuff about Natsu came out, people didn't look at him the same anymore, and Lucy wanted to understand why that was, to understand why people acted the way they did. That's why she was going to the guild early, trying to figure out what drove these people to act the way they did.

She knew she had about an hour or two of alone time, depending on when the red-haired girl decided to come to the guildhall. She usually used that time to talk to the people in there. Levy, Mirajane… she got a lot just by talking and looking at them. That day was different though.

As soon as the blond wizard entered the guild, she noticed the little master on the second floor, and as he saw her, he signaled her to come up, before heading for his office. She didn't know what it was about, but she immediately headed after the master. The few people that were in the guildhall watched as she walked up the stairs.

The doors to the master's office were opened, and as she entered she closed them behind herself. Makarov was in the wheelchair behind his desk, turned from her, looking out the window, but as she neared him, he talked, "Is it true?"

Lucy knew he must've been referring to Natsu and Gray being together. She was honestly surprised he hadn't found out sooner, hadn't asked anything about it. When she found out about the boys, she thought that maybe the little master knew about it, or at least knew what they felt for each other. She thought that maybe that was the reason he wanted them to do the S-class trial job together. But he didn't sound like he was asking if something he hoped would happen, really happened.

"Master, I-" the blond girl began, wanting to say it wasn't her he should be asking that. She didn't want to be the one to tell him, didn't want to be the one to hear what he had to say about it. He was the master of Fairy Tail, and he loved all the members like his children. But, he was the master of Fairy Tail, and if he decided to kick the boys from the guild, there was nothing anyone else could do. She didn't want to think about it, but it could happen.

"Lucy," the little man interrupted her. He was still turned from her, but she thought his voice sounded a little different. "Is it true?" he asked again, his tone clearly saying he expected an answer.

After a few moments of silence, she finally answered, looking at the floor, "Yes," The blond girl didn't get anything from the master, couldn't read him, couldn't see what he thought about it.

"And what do you think about it?"

Lucy believed that if there was a way to change the master's thoughts on the subject, then this was the time to do it. "Master, when they told me, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But I've seen how they act around each other. They really love each other. Besides, they're my friends, and I believe they know what they feel better than any of us."

She hoped her words made a difference, hoped they helped her friends.

The little man still didn't show what he thought as he asked, "And the rest of my children? What do they think?"

Any difference her last words made, her next ones would undo. "Most of them aren't too happy about it." She hated admitting it, but that was the truth. Still, she wanted to help her friends, so she continued, "But Master, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. Isn't it enough that they're happy?" Lucy might've raised her voice a little too loud, but she wanted to be heard.

In the end, Makarov either didn't hear her, or he didn't care what she said. With a sad voice, the master told her, "Please get Natsu and Gray here," The finality in his voice told her he expected her to leave then.

Lucy didn't know if her friends thought about what would happen when the master learned about them, but right then she hoped that what she thought might happen, doesn't happen.

* * *

Natsu was already holding the doors open as Lucy came into view. He figured that although something had her flustered, there clearly wasn't any imminent danger, so he waited there for her to arrive.

The blond girl entered the house without saying a word. She sat down at the table where Gray and Happy were already sitting, not looking at anyone. As the pink-haired boy closed the doors and sat besides Gray, the girl finally looked up, helplessness written all over her face.

"Master heard about you two," the girl said, sounding on the verge of tears. "He asked me if it's true, and I couldn't lie to him!" She sounded like something horrible happened. Natsu was sure Gramps loved everyone in the guild as if they were his children, so he never doubted the guild master wouldn't accept the two boys being together, but seeing Lucy…

"It's okay Lucy. We knew he'd find out sooner or later. So, what happened?" the dragon slayer asked, trying not to show his worry.

"I'm sorry Natsu, but I don't know. He wouldn't even looked at me. He asked me how everyone was taking it, and then he told me to get you and Gray there." The girl was silent for a moment, but then she added, "I'm scared. What if he tells you to leave the guild?" She looked convinced that could happen.

"Lucy…" Natsu said. "I don't know what he thinks about Gray and me together, but I know Gramps would never kick us out of the guild. He always told us to do what we think is right." Taking his boyfriend's hand, he said, "And this feels more right than anything else," The boys smiled at each other, both of them sharing the same sentiment.

"Well this wasn't planned," the raven-haired boy said. "You think it's gonna be fun?"

Natsu chuckled. "Making lunch is pretty fun. But Gramps surprised us more than once, so who knows," the pink-haired boy said, a smile appearing on his face. "Cheer up Lucy. It's all gonna be fine," he added completely believing what he was saying.

His good mood was affecting everyone there, and it wasn't long before they all headed for the guild, worries they had moments ago forgotten. Even though he knew what the people at the guild thought about Gray and him, he didn't let that affect him. People around him loved him, and he loved them. That was what mattered.


	29. Leaving Magnolia

**Chapter 29: Leaving Magnolia**

Gray, Natsu, Happy and Lucy entered the silent guildhall. Of course, people in the guild only fell silent as the four of them appeared at the doors. The raven-haired boy could see all the disapproving gazes directed towards them. Maybe people wouldn't stare so much if he didn't have his boyfriend's hand in his, but he felt those gazes were a small price to pay for knowing the dragon slayer was right there besides him.

The boys didn't waste any time, heading directly to the master's office. On the way there they agreed that it would be for the best that only the two of them went there, so Happy and Lucy didn't follow them, instead finding a seat somewhere in the guild.

Reaching the doors, they entered after knocking. Just as Lucy said, the master was turned away from the doors. Gray didn't know if he'd feel better knowing Gramps sat like that since the blond girl was there, or if he turned away because the two of them came.

Still holding hands, the boys came to a stop just before the master's table. The raven-haired boy didn't feel any need to justify himself, so he kept quiet. Not hearing his boyfriend say anything, he guessed that Salamander felt the same.

They stood there in the silent office until Gramps decided to break the silence. "I don't know what to do with you," the master told them, sounding more tired than Gray ever heard him. Both of the boys were quiet, waiting for the little wizard to say all he had to say.

"I want to keep you here, I really do, but…" The master finally slowly turned towards them. Gray immediately noticed his tear streaked face. "I think it would be best if you leave Magnolia."

The raven-haired boy instantly realized what the master was saying, the meaning of his words. What his boyfriend said an hour ago wouldn't happen, what he said Gramps wouldn't do, was happening. Even though the two of them would be together, even though that was enough for him, hearing that, knowing they had to leave was hard.

He heard his master apologizing, but he was so taken aback by what he heard that he couldn't process anything happening around him. That's why it took him longer than he wanted to admit it, that it wasn't him who was leaving. It was them.

Maybe it was him who was longer in the guild, but it will be harder for his boyfriend to leave, than it will be for him. Natsu was the one who was practically living for everyone in the guild, living for his family, and now, that family was asking him to leave. It was hard enough for the boy to watch his family be afraid of him and then shun him for his feelings, especially with everything else he was going through.

And yet, he didn't feel the pink-haired boy's grip tighten, didn't hear him crying or complaining, didn't even see that beautiful smile waver for a second. It was like he still didn't understand what was happening and Gray didn't want his boyfriend to feel alone when the words finally sunk in, so he lightly squeezed his hand, telling him he was there.

Getting a squeeze in response wasn't what the raven-haired boy expected. Was he wrong? Did Natsu understand what was happening, and was he okay with it? Was the pink-haired boy ready, knowing this could happen, even with what he said back at the house? Something was definitely weird.

The master had been quiet for some time now. After telling them to leave Magnolia, and after saying a few apologies Gray heard and didn't hear, the little wizard just sat behind his desk, not looking at them.

Why Natsu stayed there, why he didn't lead them out of there, the raven-haired boy didn't know. He himself was too concerned with what this meant that he couldn't even think of what to do next.

Finally, Makarov looked up, and spoke, his voice no longer weak. "I'm not asking you to run away. But with everything you did for us, I think you deserve better than this."

Gray didn't understand what was happening, until master's words of apology came back to him. He wasn't sorry they had to leave. "I'm sorry for the way my children treated you," he was saying. "I'm sorry for the way my children are treating you."

"Here," the master said, handing Natsu a piece of paper. "That came in this morning." The raven-haired boy couldn't see what was written on the paper, but he caught a glimpse of Sabertooth's insignia.

"I'm sorry I didn't raise my children better," the master said again, after a few moments of silence.

Handing the piece of paper to Gray, Natsu finally spoke. "Gramps, I don't know what others think and feel. I just know what I feel. And I know some things aren't taught by others. This isn't your fault."

As his boyfriend was saying that, the raven-haired boy read what was written on the paper. Apparently, Sabertooth was organizing some kind of a festival and they were asking for some help. They didn't ask for the two of them directly, but reading between the lines, you could see they were asking for a fire and ice show. Signed at the bottom, Sabertooth's guild master, Sting Eucliffe.

Whether this had anything to do with their conversation that was cut short in Crocus, Gray didn't know, but maybe it really was a good idea to get away from Magnolia for a while. That's what his boyfriend thought would be the best thing to do after their guild members learned about his demon power.

"What do you think?" the raven-haired boy asked, waving the paper in his hand. The boy was smiling encouragingly at Natsu, letting him know that whatever he decided, he'd be there for and with him.

"You sure you'll be alright?" the dragon slayer asked his boyfriend.

"Don't you think you should be worried about yourself, flame-brain?" Gray asked jokingly, trying to lift the mood a little, his more than anyone else's. "We'll have to take a train, you know."

Gray was sure he saw his boyfriend smile a little before he tried to feign nausea. "It won't be a long ride, right?" he asked. "I'll be fine."

"Then let's go," the raven-haired boy said. He knew Natsu enjoyed all the festivals they threw at Magnolia, so he was sure this would be a good experience.

The pink-haired boy looked at the master, and as he nodded, they started to leave. "Natsu," Gramps called as they reached the doors. "Fairy Tail is still your family, no matter what." And with that, they left the office. Gray saw how much that one sentence meant to his boyfriend.

* * *

Natsu liked Gramps' idea. He knew that just by being in Magnolia, he and his boyfriend wouldn't change anything, wouldn't change how people felt about him, about them. And visiting Sabertooth sounded pretty good.

They were going there for a festival, which meant there'd be a lot of food there. Besides, going to a festival sounded like something couples did, and he liked the idea of Gray and him going on a date like that. Add to that that he'd be able to spend some time with Sting and Rogue, and he couldn't think of a more perfect job.

Back at Crocus, the pink-haired boy couldn't understand why the two dragon slayers wanted to tell him they were together. Rogue said they wanted to see how someone would react to that idea and they didn't see each other so often so it wouldn't matter what he thought. That may have been partly true, but there was more to it, something Natsu only later saw.

Even though they all came through the Eclipse Gate as children, the dragon slayers knew each other before they knew anyone else. Sting, Rogue, Wendy, even Gajeel were all special to him, something other than just friends. They were raised like siblings. Dragon siblings, but siblings nevertheless.

Since Natsu was the oldest of the bunch, the others probably looked up to him. And he remembered how he looked up to Zeref when he was little. Getting praised by him, getting his approval meant the world to the pink-haired boy. That was probably why they told him before they told anyone else, and he was glad he could do something like that for someone, be something like that. He would make sure never to let them down and he was glad he didn't let them down when they first opened up to him.

As they were going down the stairs, the pink-haired boy saw that people thoughts on the two of them being together didn't change. He didn't expect anything would change overnight. Nobody spoke up because they were all afraid of him, and he didn't know if that was good or bad. He didn't feel like he had to explain his feelings, but if people weren't afraid of him, if they told him what they thought was so wrong about Gray and him being together, maybe he could show them they were wrong.

The two boys, still holding hands, headed for the table at which Happy, Lucy and Erza sat. He didn't know if the red-haired girl was there when they arrived, but he didn't remember seeing her.

Natsu saw that the three at the table waited for the news anxiously. The smiles on the boys' faces calmed them down somewhat, but hearing the words was always better. "We got a job!" the pink-haired boy happily said, showing their team the paper along with as big a grin as he could. The three of them clearly wanted to hear something else, but they knew getting a job meant they weren't kicked from the guild or in any trouble. "What do you say, buddy? The three of us can go visit Sabertooth."

"That's great," the red-haired girl said, having already read the job description. "Are you leaving today?" The festival started that evening, but it was two days from then that they were needed. Still, Sabertooth, meaning Sting, invited them for the whole festival, saying they could stay there for as long as it lasted.

"What do you think?" his boyfriend asked him, squeezing his hand lightly. "You want to get the train ride over with?"

"We can't miss the first day!" Natsu immediately answered. "That's when the best food is served!" It also meant he'd forget all the stares he was currently getting by that evening. Maybe getting their minds off of everything that was happening was what they needed.

The boys didn't waste any time. As soon as they could, they left the guildhall, going home to pack. All of them first went to Happy and Natsu's place, where the two of them packed, before they left for Gray's place together. Maybe the pink-haired boy thought his boyfriend was all healed up, but he wasn't taking any chances. They had enough time to get things done this way, so why risk it?

Luckily, the ice-make wizard was doing great. He didn't complain about a headache or dizziness that whole day and he seemed to be getting back to his old self, at least his reflexes and movements were.

They arrived at the train station just in time to catch their train. As Magnolia was being rebuilt after the invasion, the train station was built a lot larger than it used to be. These days, you could practically catch a train to anywhere, at any time. This small town now felt like the center of everything.

The train was pretty full, but they still managed to grab a couple of seats next to each other. Natsu, despite everything that was happening, felt happy and content with his life at that moment. At least until the train started.

* * *

Gray now knew why he thought he saw a smile on his boyfriend's face in the Gramps' office. Natsu's head was on his lap, his cold hand going through the pink hair. It wasn't so much about that position as it was about the two of them being so openly close to each other, and yet not getting any weird looks.

People around them didn't pay them any attention. Maybe they thought Gray was helping his friend through his motion sickness, or that they were just that close as friends, or maybe they really didn't care what the two boys were. That thought made him wonder why their guildmates saw them differently, now that they knew they were together.

"What are you thinking about?" the pink-haired boy asked him.

"You know, last time I was in one of these,", Gray said, indicating the train, "it didn't end so well."

"You're not scared of the trains now, are you ice princess?" Natsu asked with a smirk. "Don't worry, you have me here with you this time."

"That's real funny coming from you, flame-brain. Did you forget you'd be retching and puking if not for me?" the raven-haired boy retorted.

With a suddenly serious face, something only Natsu could pull off a second after joking, he said, "I guess we'll just have to take care of each other then." That sounded perfect to Gray. He would happily take care of the dragon slayer, and he loved the thought of the pink-haired boy taking care of him.

"I guess we don't have a choice," he answered. After a few moments of silence, the raven-haired boy asked something that has been on his mind for a while. "Where do we go from here, Natsu?" He heard it in his voice, how unsure in what the future holds he was.

They confessing to each other was what they both wanted to do for some time. Telling the guild, taking care of each other… those were all things they wanted to do. His boyfriend probably even wanted to tell everyone about his demon power. But now that all those things were over, now that all those things were out in the open, what were they supposed to do.

Their guildmates weren't too happy about the things they told them, but choosing between getting those stares while having Natsu, and people acting as they used to while Natsu wasn't that close, would be one of the easiest decisions ever. Still, it's been only a few days and he already missed the brawls at the guild, the rowdiness of the guildhall. What would they do if their guildmates never accept them?

His thoughts were obviously written all over his face, seeing as his boyfriend said, "We go forward. We do jobs with the team, we protect the guild if anyone threatens it, we do stupid things. It's not like we did anything special, not like we were anyone special before. We fit in because of who we are. They'll realize that soon enough. Besides, Fairy Tail would be boring without us," the pink-haired boy finished.

Gray couldn't do anything but chuckle in agreement. He had to admit that everything interesting that happened at the guild was usually happening around his boyfriend and his team. All the brawls and competitions, all the interesting jobs. And although they created a lot of "problems", they were also the first ones there when the guild needed protection. They were there, fighting with all they had, and if that wasn't enough, they'd get as strong as they needed to.

"So you see," his boyfriend said with a huge grin, "we look ahead and go forward."

"Is there anything that can keep you down?" the raven-haired boy asked, thinking about his boyfriend's unendingly positive attitude.

"Nothing!" Natsu answered, a beautiful smile still adorning his face. "But there is someone," he added, clearly not referring to his attitude. A few silent seconds passed before he said one last thing on the subject. "I think I've been miserable enough for my whole life. Besides, I could never be down if you're around," he said, lifting his hand, caressing Gray's cheek.

The moment would've been perfect, if Happy hadn't suddenly started giggling. The raven-haired boy couldn't blame the cat. He saw Happy fighting the giggles for a long time before he finally lost the fight. And the Exceed was laughing because he liked seeing them together, so Gray couldn't be mad at him.

Looking at his boyfriend and himself, he was left wondering how all of this came to be. Natsu told him he felt something for him since he first saw him. Maybe it was his dragon senses, or the instincts the pink-haired boy practically lived on. It definitely wasn't even love at first, but probably something more like an interest. Despite the dragon slayer associating that feeling with something bad, brawls were something that kept them together.

For Gray, it wasn't the first look, but he was intrigued since they first met. Gramps brought this crazy kid to the guild, a kid who wouldn't back down from something he believed, no matter what. Gray told him dragons aren't real, everyone in the guild told him dragons don't exist, the whole world said it. Nobody believed the kid when he said he knew the dragons existed, yet he never backed down.

The raven-haired boy hated seeing someone believe something so stupid, something everyone knew wasn't real. At least that's what he thought, that's why he fought Natsu. But spending more and more time with him, he realized it was that trait that made the boy special. It was that trait that made him fall in love with the boy.

Natsu protected whatever he believed in. He used everything he had to protect it. He was always strong, no matter what. Gray knew that even without him, his boyfriend would get through everything he was going through.

Still, getting into this relationship, and even some time before that, there was one thing that surprised the raven-haired boy. He never thought they'd act the way they did. In the span of just a few weeks, the two of them had no problem showing each other just how weak they really were. All of those years having to hide it, be strong for the people around them, having someone to share everything with was special. Gray couldn't help but feel lucky that they had each other and that they weren't afraid of showing their whole self to each other.

Staring at the onyx eyes of the boy in his lap, he said, "Then you'll never be down."

As Happy's giggles subsided, he finally spoke for the first time since the train started. "I always thought Natsu would be saying that to Lucy. But this is cute too." Finishing, he continued giggling.

Natsu didn't seem to mind his blue friend's words. Gray knew they both wanted to protect and take care of the other, but he also knew they both wanted to be protected and taken care of. In the end, they would both give just as much as they would take, because they understood each other, understood each other's feelings.

Even in the train full of people, the two of them enjoyed their own little world, devoid of anything but their feelings for each other.


	30. The Festival

**Chapter 30: The Festival**

Natsu dashed off the train, Gray and Happy following behind. However much he liked having his head on his boyfriend's lap, he was still motion sick. It wasn't like his motion sickness was suddenly gone. It was that with Gray there, he could get through it better.

Having left the train, he could already feel the excitement in the air. Maybe the festival officially started that evening, but the pink-haired boy was sure that the whole town was already enveloped in the festivities. Judging by the decorated train station, he was right.

As much as the dragon slayer wanted to see everything that was going on, try all the food that was offered, watch all the performers, this was still a job, and that meant they had to talk to the client. So, as he recovered from the motion sickness, they headed for the Sabertooth's guildhall.

The guildhall looked as impressive as ever. While Fairy Tail's guildhall was built to radiate warmness and friendliness, Sabertooth's was an imposing building, radiating power and wealth, courtesy of their first master. Natsu was sure that if the guild built their hall then, it would look completely different. That's how much Sabertooth has changed.

However the guildhall looked, the pink-haired boy still knew that the wizards inside valued the right things. Missing the usual way he entered Fairy Tail's guildhall, coming to the doors, he kicked them opened. "Fairy Tail's here!" he announced. Something like that would've probably infuriated Gray a year ago. Now he just chuckled, shaking his head.

Guildmembers of Sabertooth clearly didn't get those kinds of entrances in their guildhall, seeing as how all of them went silent, most of them looking prepared for a fight. The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth though, didn't seem a bit fazed, probably hearing the boys coming some time ago.

"So it's you two they sent?" Sting asked, surprising his guildmates. Rogue was probably the only other person in the guild who knew about the job issued. And judging by the way the question sounded (that is, that it sounded more like a statement than a question), the Sabertooth's master clearly knew they'd be the ones coming.

"Gramps thought we'd give the most spectacular show," the pink-haired boy played along. "Besides, if there's free food, I'm there!" Even with all the money he had.

"Free food?" the blond dragon slayer asked confused. "Who said anything about free food?"

Natsu wasn't sure if the guild master was serious or not, but he sounded serious. "What kind of festival doesn't have free food?" the pink-haired dragon slayer asked.

Either hearing something he didn't, or wanting to come to the guild master's rescue, Gray said, "Come on flame-brain. I'll buy you all the food you want." Maybe his boyfriend just wanted to treat him to some food. "Besides, we're here on a job."

"Yea, yea, whatever," Natsu answered, looking back at his boyfriend, smiling. Reaching the guild master, he said, "So, what's the job?"

Sting for some reason didn't want to discuss it in front of everyone, seeing as he motioned for them to follow him. As they followed the guild master, the pink-haired boy noticed Happy separating from them, going to where he saw Lector and Frosch near the shadow dragon slayer.

Leading them to some room in the massive guildhall, probably the master's office, Sting didn't say a word. Only after they had all entered the room, the doors were closed and they all sat down, did he speak.

"You know, we heard some interesting rumors coming from Magnolia. During that train accident a few days ago, apparently there was a fire giant, 200 meters tall, that suddenly appeared and headed directly for the accident site. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" the white dragon slayer asked, looking at Natsu.

The pink-haired boy hadn't thought much about his demon power since he told his guildmates. He wanted to tell them because they were his family, and because, as much as he and others wanted to believe it didn't change him, it did, and he knew they would notice. His fighting style, his power, even his thinking have all changed.

Still he had more family then just the people in his guild. He owed the dragon slayers he came through the Eclipse Gate with an explanation of not only who he really was, but of everything else, of everything he remembered of the past. He should have told them right after the invasion, but since he didn't, now was as good a time as any.

So, instead of answering the question that was asked, he said, "Would you mind calling Rogue here. There's something I have to tell both of you." The blond boy clearly didn't know what this was about, but nevertheless, Natsu saw that he was right, that the boy trusted him.

As Sting went to get the other dragon slayer, Gray took Natsu's hand in his own. The pink-haired boy didn't know if his boyfriend could hear it in his voice, or if he knew him so much that he knew what he was thinking, but looking at the blue eyes, he could feel his boyfriend asking him if he was sure about this. Natsu could do nothing but nod, knowing he had to do this, even though he hoped he could get away from his dark memories here.

* * *

Gray was there for his boyfriend as he spoke about his past. From telling the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth that he died and was brought back as a demon of the Book of Zeref because Zeref was his brother, to how they were all raised by dragons 400 years ago, how they played together. He told them about how he thought he destroyed the demon seed only to realize it grew stronger.

Even though he left the grim details out, like how exactly he died, how he felt after being brought back, all the nightmares that were plaguing him, Gray could feel his boyfriend reliving all of it, going through it again. He held the pink-haired boy's hand, showing him that he was there, that being all he could do.

The Sabertooth dragon slayers obviously knew some things. They weren't surprised to find out that they came from 400 years ago, and they looked like they knew about the dragon slayers being raised, at least partly, together. The rest of the things though, surprised them to say the least.

When Sting asked about the fire giant that appeared in Magnolia, he sounded like he knew something. From his reaction to the demon seed and Natsu's power growth, whatever he thought he knew, was wrong or it wasn't the full story.

By the time his boyfriend finished, the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth probably knew just as much as anyone in the Fairy Tail. But even though they knew Natsu for less time than his guildmates knew him for, even if you look at the time they spent together as children, the dragon slayers seemed to know him better. At least they knew and believed in him enough not to be scared of him.

That still didn't mean the two of them weren't taken aback, especially when Natsu told them about him having demon power, about the power he had at his disposal. But as much pain as telling his own story brought to Natsu, seeing the two dragon slayers not get scared brought comfort to him, comfort he should have gotten from his own guildmates.

There were a few moments of silence, before Sting spoke. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed way to excitedly, probably referring to the last thing the pink-haired boy mentioned, all the power he had. Gray could see that, just as him, his boyfriend never expected such a reaction, never even thought someone would react like that. In those onyx eyes, he could see that a battle raged inside Natsu. "Isn't it?" the blond dragon slayer asked, seeing the expression on the boy's face.

Some time passed in silence before Natsu said, "How could me being a demon be awesome?" He didn't sound angry or sad about it, just… defeated.

"What are you talking about?" Sting asked confused, confusing the pink-haired boy. "You said you told Igneel you're human. That's all that matters! If the power we have decides who we are, we'd be dragons, Gray would be a demon and you'd be something in between. Did you enjoy the struggle in your heart so much that you're trying to start another one?"

Gray could see his boyfriend putting up a fake smile as he said, "You're right!" This wasn't something a few words would change, and even if they sat there for days trying to convince the boy it would probably bear no fruit. Gray wasn't planning on giving up, but he didn't plan on arguing any further right then.

"Of course I am!" Sting said, fooled by the fake smile. Gray could see that Rogue wasn't, but both raven-haired boys were quiet. "Now onto the job!"

Gray wasn't sure whether the blond boy changed the plans when he found out about Natsu, or if this was the job all along, but apparently, their performance was the main event in the evening, two days from then. Of course, Natsu was mostly excited about the job. Gray could tell his boyfriend still feared his magic getting out of control, hurting someone, but he was way more confident that he could control it now.

As they agreed on all the details, where they'll stay, how the festival is organized and so on, the four boys sat in silence. Gray had a feeling this whole job, the private talk, the invite was all because of something else, but whether because of Natsu's story or something else, the Sabertooth wizards decided not to get into it. That's why they were left in an awkward silence.

The pink-haired boy was the first one who couldn't take it anymore, and decided it was time for them to leave. "Come on," he said. "You promised me some food." And with that, they left the office.

* * *

Natsu and Gray left the guildhall holding hands. The people that saw them didn't say anything, probably not understanding what them holding hands means, at least based on how their own guildmates reacted.

He didn't know what the two dragon slayers wanted to say, but since they were quiet for some time, he thought he'd rather take his boyfriend's offer of buying him food. They went from stall to stall, from vendor to vendor trying weird foods that were only sold at this festival. They'd stop and watch some performance here and there, look at souvenirs some shops had to offer, but they rarely let go of each other's hand.

Most people didn't pay them any attention. This was a festival, and there were other things there to draw people's attention, things which everyone came for.

Happy decided to stay at the guildhall. Maybe he wanted to give the two of them some alone time, or maybe he just wanted to boast about his transformation magic to the other Exceeds. Either way, as much as Natsu loved the blue cat, it felt nice to spend some time alone with Gray.

The boys went to practically every stall there was in the town. They were going slowly, and by the time they reached the last stall at the edge of the town, the sun was just barely in the sky. The time flew by before either of them noticed, but with the coming night Natsu had an idea.

Holding his boyfriend's hand, he led them out of the town. "Where are we going?" Gray asked him.

"Come on!" Natsu answered, smiling back at his boyfriend. "We've got to find it!" He knew it wouldn't make any sense to the raven-haired boy, but if he explained anything, it would ruin his plan, his surprise.

"Find what?" Gray asked somewhat worriedly. "Natsu, there's nothing out there."

"There's a whole world out there. But what we're looking for is much closer. You'll see." It was as much as he was willing to say.

"Fine. But if you're going crazy, flame-brain, I'm gonna hit you in the head as many times as I need to, to get you back to normal." There was a smile on the raven-haired boy's face now too.

They walked through the forest that was surrounding the town, and as the night was becoming darker and darker, Natsu sped up.

Finally, they reached a cliff overlooking the whole town. As the pink-haired boy sat at the edge, his boyfriend said, "What are we doing here?"

"Come on, sit down," Natsu just answered, looking at the town. "It's gonna start soon enough."

Just as Gray sat down, the first rocket went up. With all the sounds coming from the town, it was probably undetectable to others, but Natsu clearly heard it, and soon saw where the rocket was flying. The rocket exploded, and the pink-haired boy squeezed his boyfriend's hand.

The first sparks of fireworks weren't left alone for long. Before they even faded, more rockets were fired, more of them exploded and before long, the entire night sky lit up. It was like all the stars in the sky came shining over this town and looking at it from that spot, it was even more beautiful. Natsu also knew that only his boyfriend and him were watching this scene. Everyone else was looking at it from below, from the town.

They watched in silence as the stars danced above the town. The fireworks stopped suddenly, but new lights appeared. Lights coming from different locations in the town, one of them being the Sabertooth's guildhall. It was clear just by looking at them that it was a work of wizards.

The show lasted for 15 minutes. Different parts of the sky telling different stories, all of them stories for themselves, all of them connected.

After it ended, they kept sitting there in silence for just as long. They haven't spoken since that first rocket went up into the sky, and yet nothing was missing there.

* * *

Gray couldn't believe his boyfriend thought of that. All the things Natsu was going through, all the things he was struggling with, all the things floating around in his head, and yet he planned that. Just the two of them, sitting on that cliff's edge, watching the fireworks, watching the lightshow in the sky. It was beautiful, it was perfect, just like his boyfriend.

Still, everything they went through that day tired Natsu out. With all the energy the boy always had, that was a rare sight. After they reached the guildhall, they quickly went to their room. Neither of them even showered. They just lied on the bed as they were.

The pink-haired boy had his head against Gray chest, Gray's arms around him. Maybe Natsu acted like the last night's nightmare didn't happen, but as the time for sleep was getting closer, the memories of it were probably coming back.

That still didn't stop Salamander from falling asleep in a matter of minutes. Gray moved one of his hands into his boyfriend's hair. Just like with most of the things Natsu was going through, he couldn't do anything other than be there.

Both of them spent a better part of the day walking around, and yet, Gray didn't feel tired. Not even a little bit. He felt like he needed to stay awake, watch over his boyfriend, protect him from any nightmares that might try to attack him while he was asleep.

It was peaceful. The muffled sounds coming from outside the only thing filling the silence of the room. Natsu's warm breath heated his bare chest. The soft, pink hair caressed his hand.

Looking at his boyfriend asleep, feeling his warm body on him and next to him, he couldn't understand how he lived without this for so long. All those years, all the fights they had, all the punches they gave each other, all the words they exchanged. If that was all they could share with each other, that would be enough for him. But he was glad he could live with more than that, he was glad he had everything he had. He would do anything just to keep this perfect boy beside him.

Minutes passed and hours rolled on with one boy asleep, the other watching him. The blue cat they came there with decided the two boys could be alone. Maybe Happy just wanted to spend more time with his fellow Exceeds, but Gray was glad he could have some alone time with his boyfriend, even if one of them was asleep.

Just as the raven-haired boy thought he managed to protect Natsu from any nightmares that wanted to strike that night, he felt the pink-haired boy tense in his arms. A few seconds passed before the boy woke, and then a few more before he said fearfully, "Gray?"

"I'm here," he answered, pulling Natsu just a bit closer, using more than just his words to answer.

"We have to go back to Magnolia." Natsu sounded like that was the last thing he wanted to do, yet something that must be done. "Someone's coming."

"Who?" Gray asked, turning towards the doors. He didn't manage to ask why they had to return to Magnolia before his boyfriend spoke again.

"Not here. One of Zeref's demons is heading for Magnolia. It-" the pink-haired boy didn't get to finish before Gray interrupted him.

"That was a nightmare, Natsu," he said gently. "All of Zeref's demons died with him. There aren't any more of his demons."

Natsu waited until Gray finished, and then he finally sat up, facing away from the boy he was sleeping on. A few moments passed before he turned around, locked eyes with his boyfriend and spoke. "I'm still alive. If I survived, others could have too. And I'm telling you, one is heading for Magnolia."

The pink-haired boy looked scared, just like he did last night. Still, Gray felt Natsu wasn't saying this out of fear. If anything, he looked scared enough that he wanted to be convinced that what he thought wasn't true.

"How do you know?"

Natsu broke the eye contact he held until then. "It told me," he said quietly. "It was there last night too, I just didn't remember it."

Gray wasn't convinced that another demon even survived, much less that it was speaking to Natsu in his dreams. But could he tell that to his boyfriend? Could he tell him that, knowing how alone he must be feeling, knowing he would practically be telling the boy he didn't trust him? Besides, maybe he didn't believe another demon spoke to the boy in his dreams, but Natsu's instincts were rarely wrong. With his dragon senses, and now with whatever the demon seed did to him, who knows what he could've felt or sensed. Worse case, they'd waste some time riding the train.

"Hey," the raven-haired boy said, putting a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. After the boy raised his head and looked at him, he said, "Let's go check it out. Better safe than sorry, right?" he asked, smiling a little.

For the first time since… ever, Natsu didn't smile back. He was usually the first person to have a smile on their face, the person with the biggest smile, even though he faked it sometimes. Even during those few weeks after the invasion, when he was hiding from everyone, whenever he allowed anyone to get near him he would put a fake smile up. Now he didn't even try. It pained Gray to see the boy he loved go through such hardships. It pained him to know that he couldn't do much else than be there and support him.


	31. Another Perspective

**Chapter 31: Another Perspective**

Gajeel didn't really care about all the commotion in the guild the last few days. Protecting what you had, protecting what you cared for was all good and well, but most of the people there were just his guildmates. He would fight with them, do all he could to protect the guild with them, but they all had a private life, and that part was… well, private. So Natsu and Gray going out on a "date", or Salamander taking care of the ice-make wizard while he was hurt wasn't something Gajeel worried or even thought about.

After Juvia came to the guild, rumors about Salamander staying with the ice-make wizard quickly spread through the guild, as usual. Other people clearly thought they could dictate how others led their lives, based on the comments he was hearing. Still, only a handful of people thought that was anything more than a friend helping a friend. By the end of the day, only the stalkerish woman was still talking about that whole thing.

But things changed the next day. After Gajeel came to the guildhall sometime after noon, the rumors of Natsu and Gray being together were on everyone's lips. It wasn't long before he heard that Mira was the one who spread the rumors, saying she heard it from someone who wouldn't lie about it. The voices he heard yesterday grew louder, now having more people thinking the same thing.

That still wasn't any of Gajeel's business. While he did consider Salamander his rival, he wouldn't really say they were close enough to call them friends. So, it neither mattered who he was dating nor who was against it to the iron dragon slayer.

The day was ending and Gajeel was sitting at the counter, eating his dinner, when a certain blue-haired wizard came to sit besides him. "I told you a long time ago that what you were doing wouldn't end well," he finally said, after a few moments of silence. He got just an angry glare in return, after which he continued eating his food.

It wasn't until he was finished and about to get up to leave that she spoke. "You're okay with that?"

He heard her say that more than once that day, and he knew exactly to what she was referring. "Hey, I don't really care what someone does. Salamander's my rival, and as long as I can still fight him he can do whatever he wants."

"Funny you mention Natsu," the girl said. "With how you and Laxus are taking this, there are rumors that all the dragon slayers are the same."

Gajeel laughed. "There were also rumors that you and Gray and Natsu and Lucy are together. I guess not all rumors can be trusted, right?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer he left the guildhall.

While he said what he said, the truth was, he didn't like those rumors about him. If what Natsu and Gray were feeling really was love, he was fine with that, after all, he knew he loved Levy, but what if it really was some dragon instinct on Salamander's part, what if it was some instinct he had too? That's why he decided to have a talk with Natsu the day after. To learn the truth about what was going on.

The morning came. Gajeel would usually head for the guildhall at that time of the day, but with what he decided yesterday, he headed for Gray's apartment. You might wonder how he knew where Gray lived, but a detective never reveals his sources.

He was about half-way there when he ran into a group of his guildmates heading in the same direction he was heading in. "Gajeel!" someone from the group exclaimed. "You're joining us then?"

"Joining you?" he asked, trying to buy some time. He would've found a way to get out of that situation, but he smelled Juvia coming in their direction. If rumors she mentioned yesterday really were true, she was probably the one spreading them, and he didn't want to give her anything more to use against all the dragon slayers. "Yea, I want to see why Salamander would reject my girlfriend's best friend for someone he couldn't even fuck."

At that moment, even if he didn't intend to do it, he knew he got himself all caught up in the whole situation. There was no way to back out of it now, no way to deal with everything how he wanted. As they continued towards their destination, he sped up, just to get a step or two away from the mob behind him.

Reaching the building in which Gray's apartment was, he commanded the mob to wait outside. If this was the role he was given, he might as well embrace it and use it to do what he wanted. Coming to the doors, being away from the group outside, he knocked lightly. There was no answer. After he knocked the second time, he caught a whiff of Salamander outside.

Coming outside, he said to the group, "I can smell Salamander." He headed for where the smell was coming from. Not knowing what he, what they would do after reaching the dragon slayer, he was glad when he lost the smell. Still, he already made a turn around the corner and came across the red-haired wizard. "Are you looking for Gray?" he asked, trying to convey his thoughts with his expression, but he doubted he was successful, being there with the mob behind him. "He's not home."

"What are you doing here?" Erza asked, clearly not pleased with what she saw, grocery bags in her hands.

Since he was already acting, Gajeel forced himself to go all out. Trying to express his thoughts wasn't working anyway, so he embraced his role. "Are you cooking for them!?" As soon as he asked that question, he asked another. "Where is Natsu's house?" He doubted the girl would tell them, even counted on it. Even though he was drawn into all of this, he still thought this wasn't any of his business. All he wanted was to learn what drove Salamander to do what he was doing.

"Do you have a problem?" the red-haired wizard asked, staring him in the eyes.

Gajeel didn't like the kind of pointless fights that could turn into, so he swallowed his pride and acted scared. Laughing nervously, he said, "It was just a joke."

"You should refrain from joking about my friends," Erza said, turning around and leaving. Gajeel was glad the whole situation was finally over. He could finally get away from all of these people.

Starting home, he didn't take more than a few steps before he stopped and turned around. "Stop following me!" he told the whole group that still walked after him.

"You're going to find Natsu, aren't you? We want to come too," someone from the group said. Even if he had any intention of going to look for Salamander, he had no intention of bringing all of these people with him.

"I'm going home," he simply answered.

"But wha-" someone started, but was interrupted.

"No buts! No one knows where he lives, and I have no intention of spending the entire day looking for him! You do what you want," he said, walking off. As he was leaving, he heard that others decided to head back for the guild.

* * *

Gajeel doubted the two wizards would be returning to Gray's apartment, so next morning he decided to head for the guild. It wasn't long before he was surrounded by the mob from the day before, which was weird, since not many people should've known where he was living.

He ignored everyone and walked towards the guildhall at his own pace, slowly. He wasn't far from the guild when he caught Natsu and Gray's smell. Still, he had no intention of running towards them. If the two of them reached the guildhall before Gajeel caught up with them, he could avoid having to act as the people around him expected him. He knew that wasn't an option as he came close enough to hear that the two wizards walked slower than even he was. There was only a corner separating them, and there wasn't anything left for him other than to charge after the two of them.

"Salamander!" he yelled as the wizards holding hands came into view. As he launched his Iron Dragon's Club, he didn't consider how slowly the two of them would be turning, or that they would hold hands the entire time. The attack that was supposed to go right between the two of them was now going straight for them.

But, just as in their fight in the arena, fire stopped his movement. The look on Salamander's face scared him. His usual easy-going face was nowhere to be seen, and Gajeel didn't remember that look on Natsu's face even when they were facing their deadliest opponents. He looked ready to kill, and his words confirmed it. "You have five minutes to apologize, or I'll burn you alive."

Putting a smug look on his face, he tried to lighten the mood, maybe turn all of this into just one of their brawls, but Salamander just made his flames start traveling slowly over the club partly buried in the flames.

As he tried to pull the club out of the fire, it didn't budge. Natsu was holding the club in place, the deadly look still on his face. As the metal was turning red in the flames, he used other attacks to try to free the club in the flames, but nothing worked.

Not knowing what else to do, Gajeel laughed nervously. "Come on, Salamander, can't you take a joke…"

"Was that why you were looking for my house yesterday?" Natsu asked.

"That bitch," he whispered, hating himself more than anyone else, for being dragged in all of that. "So, she went and told you everything, did she?" He knew he was just diverting the blame to someone else. Everything would've been so much easier if he only didn't care so much about his reputation.

"She didn't have to tell us anything. I was there," Salamander said.

"I knew I smelled you yesterday, Salamander! So where were you hiding?" Gajeel asked angrily.

"Should you really be thinking about that?" Natsu asked. "But if you really want to know…" he continued, turning into Erza for a second. Now it made sense to the iron dragon slayer how he suddenly lost Natsu's scent and Erza suddenly appeared. That didn't quench his anger though.

Gajeel was too angry, too focused on what was happening in front of his eyes to realize why the fire suddenly vanished. The two wizards turned from him and quickly headed for the guild, their walk faster than before he came up to them. But as he calmed just a little, he sensed why the two of them started for the guild, and why he was angry.

He was angry at himself for going against what he believed. He was angry for caring so much about himself that he was going that far just to not embarrass himself. But more than that, he was angry at himself for letting himself be manipulated like that, angry at the blue-haired girl that was coming towards them, for manipulating him.

Before anyone in the mob behind him said anything, before Juvia was close enough to see him, before he had any chance to reconsider and give up, he ran away from there, leaving everyone behind. Maybe all that business with Natsu and Gray wasn't anything he was supposed to meddle in, maybe their private lives weren't anyone else's business but their own, but he had to at least try and help a little, considering what he did. He had to try to make up for what he did.

And so, he headed for the train station.

* * *

Just like all the other dragon slayers, Gajeel wasn't fond of vehicles. He knew it was something nobody could live without, but that still didn't mean he liked it. Luckily, this time his destination wasn't very far away, so he didn't have to suffer for long.

Getting off the train, he headed for the guildhall. The people he came looking for were probably there, and more likely than not, he could talk to them there without anyone else overhearing.

Even before reaching the building, he could smell his targets there. They could probably smell him too.

There weren't many people beside the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth in the guildhall, and even though his presence there attracted a few stares, he was mostly ignored by all but the dragon slayers.

Gajeel wasn't a person who liked to ask for help. He always believed that if a problem couldn't be solved with fists, it wasn't a problem worth solving, and if you couldn't solve your own problem with your own fists, you were too weak. He wouldn't be asking for help if it were anyone but Natsu. Then again, he wouldn't have done what he did if it were anyone but Natsu.

"Can we talk? Just the three of us," he asked the dragon slayers. His voice probably sounded serious, seeing as there was no hesitation in their nods.

The three of them went to a room somewhere in the massive guildhall, and as Sting closed the doors, he asked, "What's up?"

"Did miss Anna come to talk to you?" Gajeel asked. After the battle with Alvarez Empire and Acnologia, after the injured were treated and fires extinguished, she came to Fairy Tail and told Wendy and him everything about their past. She wanted to talk to Natsu too, but he was already avoiding everyone, so she decided to do it later, when things calmed down some more.

The two dragon slayers nodded. "Since she told me everything," Gajeel continued, "I've been getting flashes of those memories back." He knew the two of them were getting them too, since Wendy told him she also had them.

"Do you remember how it used to be?" the iron dragon slayer asked. "I'll be the first one to deny it, but even then, Natsu was the one that made us go forward. He was always where fun was. With everything he's been through…"

Gajeel's unfinished sentence didn't go unnoticed. "Everything he's been through?" Sting asked.

"Meh, it doesn't matter. I came here to talk about something else. I need your help," he said, and he told them what's been happening with Natsu and Gray the last few days. With what he decided, things would get a lot more embarrassing then they were as he told the dragon slayers the truth. Be that as it may, he owed it to Salamander, maybe because of what he did the last few days, maybe because of what Natsu was to him, to all the dragon slayers 400 years ago, and in the years after they meet up after coming through the Eclipse Gate.

It didn't take a genius to see that the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth didn't like what they were hearing. As much as Natsu may have meant to Gajeel, Salamander wasn't that much older than him. While, 400 years ago, Sting, Rogue and Wendy too, were much younger than the two of them. Younger children always look up to older ones and with Natsu's personality, that probably applied to the dragon slayers more than to anyone else, so Gajeel could understand why the two across from him were taking this as they did.

Still, while he was telling his story, the two didn't interrupt him, didn't attack him as he told them the stupid things he did. They were quiet most of the time, and when he finished, they waited for him to tell them exactly what kind of help he wanted.

"I want you to invite them here," Gajeel said.

"Why?" the two dragon slayers asked at the same time.

"I don't want them there when I do what needs to be done," the iron dragon slayer said. "It's all well and good how some of the guildmates are saying that it's their lives and they can do whatever they want. Personally, I didn't even want to get involved in it. It's none of my business, after all. But now that I am involved, I can't just stand by and do nothing. Someone's got to teach all those idiots to either stand beside their guildmates or mind their own business."

"You really think they'll listen to you?" Rogue asked.

"You were there, weren't you? Natsu was the one who saved the world, twice in one day. First from Zeref and then from Acnologia. I don't care who they are, as long as they're not hurting anyone, every person can do whatever they want. But he saved Earthland. If he doesn't have the right to live however he wants, then I don't know who does."

Sting and Rogue looked at each other. "What do you think?" light dragon slayer asked.

"There is that festival starting tomorrow," shadow dragon slayer answered.

"We could invite wizards from other guilds and have a tournament on the last day," the guild master said. "Maybe Natsu did save the world, but we've all grown much stronger. This time I'll beat him," Sting ended, looking quite confident.

"Heh," Gajeel laughed. "Good luck with that." He doubted all the wizards that'll be there combined could defeat Natsu now, but he didn't say anything about how powerful he became. Gajeel was also aware of how he himself changed. It was like the young him, the one whose memories he was slowly getting back, was influencing him. Before that, he doubted he'd care about some stupid thing he did enough to try to make it right, much less use his words instead of his fists. He couldn't yet decide if he liked it or not, but Levy noticed, and she said she was glad. Maybe he'll try and embrace it, once he decides for himself that it's a good thing.

* * *

Gajeel didn't stay to chat very long. In fact, as soon as the Sabertooth wizards came up with a way to get Natsu and Gray out of Magnolia, and they told him about it, he headed back to the train station.

If that was gonna work, there was one more person Gajeel had to talk to about it. He probably heard the rumors by now, though he probably discarded them as just rumors. After all, Master wasn't one to believe in rumors, especially if they were about his children. And he always believed that everyone does what they think is right. He even let the iron dragon slayer join Fairy Tail, even though he smashed their guildhall and attacked them.

The dragon slayer wasn't concerned too much about that talk. Even though he had to tell the whole story again, he knew that Master would understand. Maybe not understand what Gajeel did, or why he did it, but understand what Natsu and Gray were going through,

Gajeel was sure Master's philosophy wasn't all that different from his own. Sure, the dragon slayer wasn't involving himself in his guildmates' business because he thought it wasn't his place and Master didn't do it cause he believed his children knew what they were doing, but in the end, both of them believed that everyone knows best what they wanted in their own lives.

It was still day when he returned to Magnolia, still a few hours till sunset when he came to the guildhall. He ignored everyone in the packed guildhall as he headed for the Master's office. It was clear from everyone's looks that every person there knew what happened in the morning. They probably even thought that he ran because he was embarrassed about what happened, but he decided to ignore it all.

There was only one set of eyes that affected him when their looks crossed, and it was Levy's. Even though she knew him better than anyone else here, he could see it in her eyes that what she heard was affecting her. But he hoped that he could make it up with what he planned. He hoped it would be enough to convince her not to give up on him.

He came to the doors where he paused for a minute. He knew he couldn't just go in there and say whatever he wanted. He was sure Gramps would want to do whatever he could to protect any of his children. His words could probably make everyone leave Natsu and Gray alone, but although that would solve the problem, Gajeel wasn't sure that was the best way. He wanted his guildmates to understand that everyone has a right to do whatever they wanted. And, since he did some stupid things, he wanted to be the one to make them understand.

With a vague plan of what he was going to say, he knocked on the doors and entered the room.


	32. The Demon

**Chapter 32: The Demon**

Gray and Natsu left a note before they headed back to Magnolia. Since the day still hasn't started, everyone was still sleeping, and they didn't want to wake anyone up. And not wanting to worry anyone, they just wrote that they went out early and that they'd be back later. Natsu said they should write something like this, cause since Happy wasn't with them, they'd have to leave him there, and he didn't want his blue friend to worry.

Even though it was still night outside, the trains were already leaving and coming to the station. Maybe since there was a festival there they didn't stop driving even in the night. Any way it was, they had to wait less than an hour for a train to Magnolia to leave the station.

Gray could see how worried Natsu was. "Hey," the raven-haired boy spoke. "Most of our guildmates are back at Magnolia. Gildarts, Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, they're not S-class wizards just for show. When it comes down to it, there is no one who can defeat them."

Natsu didn't seem to hear him. He continued staring into the same spot he had been staring at since they sat down.

Living in the world they lived in wasn't easy, and that was more true for wizards in guilds than anyone else. Looking at it from the outside, it must've looked fun, going on adventures, slaying monsters and saving people. The truth wasn't that simple.

Of course, they were always saving people, whether it was from monsters or other people. But saving one person from another sometimes meant hurting a person, maybe even killing them. And killing someone wasn't something you just did and then forgot about. It was something that stayed with you forever.

You could do anything if you're doing it to protect something or someone else. That's how all of them came through all the fights they entered. But after that's done, after you protected it, after that imminent need to protect it is gone, the memories of what you did stay. You keep telling yourself you had to do it, that there was no other way, that you had to protect something, but it doesn't erase what you did.

Everyone in the guild was dealing with stuff like that. Gray could see it on everyone's faces after each of their battles with dark guilds, after their last fight against Alvarez. He could feel it inside himself, and he kept telling himself "I had to do it," more times than he liked to remember.

Even so, the one person who was seemingly never affected was his boyfriend. And if he were honest, seeing that bothered him. He often wondered how Natsu could smile after everything they did. Whether they just had a festival or an intense battle against some dark guild, the smile on the pink-haired boy's face was always the same. He always acted like he did what he had to, like he was living by "I had to do it" words. Even though Gray wanted to be able to do the same, he was still bothered seeing that on Natsu's face.

But since they started working together, since they became closer as they worked as a team, the raven-haired boy saw how wrong he was. If Natsu's reaction to everything they had to do was extreme, it would be the complete opposite of what Gray previously thought; The pink-haired boy was affected by it more than anyone else. As they worked together, Gray figured why Natsu always had a smile.

While it had bothered Gray before he figured it all out, their guildmates didn't seem to share the same feeling. Natsu's smile always assured them that they did the right thing. It told them that no matter how hard the things they had to do were, it was the only way. That smile had the words "I had to do it," written all over it. It was Natsu's way of telling everyone that even though they did some horrible things, they all did the best they could, they did the only thing they could.

Besides that, there was another reason behind it. Actually, it was the same reason, just directed towards himself. Whether it was for the best that Natsu kept all those things from affecting him too much with that smile Gray wasn't sure. After their last big fight, after they defeated the Alvarez Empire, it probably finally became too much to handle. With everything else going on, Natsu couldn't keep pretending like everything was fine.

The person that always reassured everyone with his smile was still there, right next to Gray. Gray was sure that person would still be there, even if he himself weren't. That's not something he believed, but something he knew. Natsu was always as strong as he needed to be. But however strong you are, however much you can go through everything without crumbling, that didn't mean you didn't want someone you can lean on every now and then. And spending ten years being everyone's support pillar, Gray was glad Natsu allowed himself to lean on someone every now and then. Gray was determined to be there whenever his boyfriend needed him.

* * *

Natsu couldn't sleep in the train, not with the dream he had that night. He knew it was just a dream. After all, Gray was right there, right next to him. The blue eyes looking at him weren't lifeless, and his body wasn't moving just because of the shaking of the train. Gray was alive and well, so it had to have been just a dream.

Even so, he couldn't accept that everything was a dream. He had those dreams that felt real. Most of his nightmares since the invasion were like that. But whenever he woke from any of them, he always knew they were just a dream. They shook his up, they scared the hell out of him, but he always knew he woke up, and that what he saw was nothing more than a nightmare.

This one was different. The proof of it being just a dream was right next to him, but there was still something about it that felt real. That monster that said it was one of Zeref's demons felt real. It said it was coming for him, but the pictures he got from it weren't of him in the Sabertooth's guildhall. It was of their own guildhall, of the whole Magnolia burning. Worst of all, what scared him the most in that dream were the flames that burned all around him. The one thing he was sure he could control was scaring him.

He wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around him, so as the train slowed down, he though they were just stopping at another station. They weren't supposed to reach Magnolia for another ten or fifteen minutes, so he wasn't getting up. Hearing the voice on the speakers though, he sat up.

"Dear passengers, we apologize for the inconvenience, but at this moment we are unable to reach Magnolia station. We ask that you stay in your seats until we get confirmation that the path ahead is safe. Once again, we apologize for this inconvenience and ask for you patience. Thank you."

That kind of thing may not have happened often, but it happened from time to time. The missions the wizards went on, the fights they were involved in sometimes happened close to the rails, and for the safety of the passengers the trains didn't approach those areas.

To Natsu, and probably to Gray too, this confirmed Natsu's dream. Even though this kind of thing happened from time to time, it has never happened near any town with a strong guild in it. The wizards of those guilds made sure no monsters came close to their town, and with most of their guildmates back in Magnolia, there shouldn't have been any fight that would drag other innocent people in it.

Despite what the voice over the speakers said, the two wizards got out of their seats and exited the train. As soon as both of them were outside, Natsu conjured a Fire Body, getting both of them into it. Ten to fifteen minutes by train wasn't much, but if they had to walk that distance it would have taken them some time.

This time, the size of the flames that surrounded them wasn't determined in advance. Natsu kept growing it until they could see Magnolia. Just as they started seeing over the hill between them and the town, the pink haired boy saw that what he feared would happen was happening. The first thing that came into view was Fairy Tail's guildhall, and by the way it looked, he was sure there was a fight there. It was also clear that nobody was fighting there at that moment.

Still looking at the town, trying to see everything that could be seen, he willed the body to move in that direction. Natsu was sure the fight was still going on, even if it wasn't anywhere near their guildhall, so he frantically searched the entire town. Besides the guildhall, most of the town was still intact, and seeing that, the pink-haired boy diverted his search to the area surrounding the town.

Getting closer and closer to the town, they still hadn't found where the fight was happening. Gray probably couldn't even see that far away, and Natsu couldn't believe that that demon already fulfilled what it said it would do. He couldn't believe his guildmates would be defeated that easily, he couldn't believe they could be… killed.

"Where is everyone?" Natsu asked as the giant flaming body moved through the town. There wasn't anyone in the town, just like the night before the invasion. But back then, there wasn't anyone in Magnolia because they evacuated everyone. Even if the guild knew someone was coming, there was no way they could evacuate everyone in less than a day.

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Gray answered, looking around, finally being close enough to observe the scene around him.

Natsu moved them towards the guildhall. Even if he hadn't dreamed anything, it was clear that that building was the target. But it didn't make any sense. Had they really fought in the guildhall, there was no way it would just have a few holes in it. Fairy Tail wizards weren't known for being able to hold back, even if it meant destroying their guildhall.

Everything was quiet. There was no smell of human, of anyone Natsu could detect. There was no smell of blood. It was like everyone just disappeared.

Getting out of the Fire Body, the two boys entered the guildhall and the things they saw there just added to the feeling of everyone disappearing. Everything they were seeing, everything they weren't seeing, didn't make any sense. If everyone just disappeared, then why where there holes in the building? If the demon Natsu dreamt of really came there, then why was almost everything still intact, and not destroyed like it promised it would do?

And then, in the next moment he felt the power surge. It was magic stronger than anything he had ever felt, and it condensed and exploded at lightning speed. But Natsu's own magic wasn't any slower. He used his flames to shield Gray and him from the blast.

The bright light flashed and disappeared in a second. Even though his own flames were blindingly bright, the light outside made the whole world turn white. It was obviously an attack, and both boys were prepared for a fight that was to come, prepared to protect the town, even if they didn't know where the people were.

Unfortunately, with the bright flash, Magnolia was gone. Not destroyed, just… gone. The guildhall, the houses, the streets, the river that flowed, it all disappeared. Only a massive crater was left in its place.

* * *

Gray couldn't believe what he was seeing. In all the fights he had been in, there was never so much damage. They made a few craters in all those years, but this was beyond that. The whole town was gone! The place where Magnolia was, was gone! He couldn't believe someone was able to do that. And he had to fight that monster?

Before he had a chance to think anything else, he noticed a figure heading towards the two of them. And as he looked past Natsu, he saw a smile on his boyfriend's face. Not the glad or relieved kind, but a reassuring smile, a smile probably meant for Gray. Whether he sensed his worry or not didn't matter. Natsu was telling him everything will be alright, and so, even if the dragon slayer didn't believe it himself, how could his boyfriend not trust him?

As the figure came closer and closer, an evil laugh reached him, and not long after, the figure started talking. "So, END, where are all your little friends now? You thought that by defeating Zeref you'd keep them all safe?"

At the mention of Zeref, Natsu's smile was gone. His expression completely changed. He wasn't surprised, sad or hurt. He looked angry. He looked furious. The expression from that day when Gajeel attacked them couldn't even compare to the look on Natsu's face at that moment. And unlike that day, the target of his anger wasn't someone he had any intention of holding back against, Gray knew. If there was Zeref's demon out there, this was it.

Without a word, without any movement, Natsu turned the whole crater red with fire and the figure turned into a ball of flames. Even though Natsu looked like he was lost to the anger, Gray knew his boyfriend still carefully controlled his magic. The flames weren't burning him or anything other than the demon.

But, even thought all that he could see of the demon was a red ball of fire, the laughter never stopped. "You may control the flames, but I am fire itself," it said, and the red ball burst to reveal a flaming figure. "Zeref made sure I would avenge him as he left this world! He made sure I would find you and he made sure I would have the power that could extinguish you."

The demon continued with his slow pace towards them, clearly unconcerned by anything they could do. Gray didn't know what to do. He didn't have the power to even be safe as a spectator in a fight between his boyfriend and that demon, so how could he make any difference in it. All he could do was make sure Natsu wasn't consumed by his rage because of the demon's words.

"Zeref sent you?" Natsu asked, all his anger replaced by sadness. To Gray, it looked like the demon's words held more meaning for his boyfriend than for him.

"Yes. You didn't really think that the darkest wizard that ever existed would die just like that. He made sure he would be avenged. And now, after destroying this town and everyone in it, only the two of you are left. Do you feel Zeref's rage?" The evil laugh continued even as the demon spoke. It hadn't stopped even for a moment.

Gray was surprised to hear another laughter, this one coming from his boyfriend. A sad chuckle accompanied by tears. "Natsu…" Gray said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Natsu turned around, and there was no fear in his eyes. He had that easy smile on his face, and even though the tears streaked his face, it looked more genuine that Gray saw in a long time. His boyfriend patted the hand on his shoulder before turning to face the demon again.

"Thank you," Gray heard him mutter before Natsu disappeared. The flames that covered the whole crater just a moment before were gone too. All the flames condensed where the demon was standing, and the light coming from there outshone the sun.

There was no way for Gray to see what was happening, but in that short moment when the sun descended on Earthland, he was sure a fight was fought. The demon that came seeking revenge was gone before he even realized what was happening.


	33. The New Beginning

**Chapter 33: The New Beginning**

Natsu was once again reminded of all the horrible things that happened in his life. How could he not be? A monster came, and it said that the brother Natsu not long ago learned he loved, sent him to get revenge. Of course, he didn't believe it for a single second, but that demon reminded him of everything he had lost.

And yet, as the demon spewed all that nonsense, one thing was caught in Natsu's head. It said Zeref sent it. A part of the sentence that was probably a lie immediately extinguished the raging anger in Natsu's heart that he felt because this… this monster… was using his brother like that.

But it didn't matter. The demon was already gone. Its flames were put out, but the destruction was left behind it. Magnolia was gone, and all that was standing in the crater were the three people he protected when that bright flash appeared.

Gray still didn't seem to realize what was going on, but even so, he already started towards Natsu. "Bring them back," the pink-haired boy said, looking past his boyfriend. It was obvious that Gray didn't know what he was talking about, but seeing that Natsu wasn't looking at him, he turned back.

And there was no one there. Just as there wasn't anyone there in Natsu's eyes. But he wasn't focused on anything he was seeing. Natsu was looking at the spot where he sensed his invisible flames couldn't reach. He knew it was Stealth, and he could recognize the person hidden with it.

Out of thin air a bald person appeared. A person that was their enemy the last time they saw each other. "When did you get back to Magnolia?" Natsu asked calmly, surprising his boyfriend.

"I never left. It was the emperor's last order. He said I'll be needed here."

That was probably the best news he heard since coming back, since Jacob probably managed to save everyone with his magic, and yet, all Natsu could feel was sadness. "So he talked to you too?" he asked. Gray seemed to know exactly how Natsu was feeling, judging by the expression on his face.

"Natsu…" Gray said as he reached the pink-haired boy.

"Goodbye, Natsu Dragneel," Jacob said, and with a clap of his hands, he disappeared into the crowd of people that just appeared. Just like that, Natsu was forced to remember those days after the invasion.

* * *

Gray put his hands around his boyfriend. He didn't care that everyone was back. Why would he? It seemed like they were back just to further torment the person he loved more than anyone else in the world. Only a few people cared about what happened, while the others were just sending disapproving looks at the two boys that were hugging.

Of course, the people around them were mostly their guildmates, which just made it worse. "You wanna go?" Gray quietly asked the boy next to him.

Before Natsu had a chance to say anything, a loud shout was heard. "You're not going anywhere." It was Gajeel's voice. _Great,_ Gray thought.

He approached slowly, but this time there was no smug expression on his face. "I've had enough of this," the iron dragon slayer said quietly, unlike his normal voice, as he made his way to the two of them.

All eyes were looking at Gajeel, and Gray saw too many satisfied expressions. "This went on for too long," the iron dragon slayer said, standing near the two of them, but facing the crowd. "Who do you think you are?!" he roared, changing the expression on every face there.

"What gives you the right to talk about them that way?! What gives you the right to look at them like that?!"

There was just a tiny pause there, and people already started making excuses. "But we-"

"We what?" Gajeel growled at the person that spoke. "This isn't about you, or you, or you!" he said, pointing at random people. "This isn't about what you feel or what you think. No matter how you look at it, you have no right meddling in someone else's life. How can you do that to someone you call your friends? You should feel ashamed of yourself," he finished. "I know I am," he added quietly before heading away.

"Gajeel-" Natsu called out, but the iron dragon slayer didn't let him finish.

"Save it Natsu," he said without looking at him, without even slowing down.

Still, the pink-haired boy was never one to give up. Even if it was falling on deaf ears, he said, "Thank you."

Gray didn't hear any response, but a small smile appeared on his boyfriend's face. While everyone was still stunned by what they heard from the iron dragon slayer, the two boys took the chance to get away from everyone without anyone bothering them. They headed for Natsu's house, probably the only part of Magnolia that was still standing.

* * *

Natsu wanted some peace and quiet. Ever since the invasion he found it relaxing to just get away from everything and everyone and be alone with his thoughts. Maybe it wasn't relaxing, and maybe it wasn't really good for him to be alone like that, but he wouldn't really be alone with Gray there. Right now, he just couldn't stay in the middle of that crowd, even with the looks, which he so recently came to know, gone.

Their guildmates were still stunned by Gajeel's words, and the rest of the people of Magnolia gave them no trouble, as Natsu and his boyfriend walked through the crowd of now homeless people. Soon enough, the two of them were at the edge of the crater, outside the destruction.

If he were honest with himself, Natsu didn't know how he was feeling. It wasn't just that in the memories he made that year there were his happiest and his saddest moments. All those things happened only recently, but it wasn't just because of that either. Why was it that he constantly had to remind himself of all the good things in his life, but all the bad memories wouldn't go away no matter how much he wanted to forget them?

Gray hadn't said anything since they left the center of the crater. There was no need to say anything. Whatever comforting words he could say, Natsu already said them to himself, and it didn't help at all. Gray being there meant more to Natsu than any words anyone could say.

Still, as they were nearing the only building that was still there, the raven-haired boy finally spoke. "Are we going back?"

Natsu knew he was asking whether they'll be returning to the festival, to the job they were supposed to do, but he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything. Lately, his every thought led back to the people he killed, led back to his scared and displeased guildmates, led back to his dead brother and to the memories he wanted to forget.

The one wish he had at that moment was just a single sleep devoid of nightmares. He wanted to forget about everything, just for a moment. He didn't want to answer his boyfriend's question.

An image suddenly appeared in his mind. It was a memory of what happened only yesterday, the memory of seeing his blue friend crying. Was he forcing his boyfriend to suffer through all of this with him? "I'm sorry," Natsu said. Too much time already passed to just answer Gray's question, and he felt like he needed to apologize.

"What are you talking about, flame-brain?"

"I just remembered I forgot this somewhere along the way," the pink-haired boy said, putting a well-practiced smile on his face.

"Natsu… You think that matters to me? I don't want to see you pretending to be fine when you're not. Even if it hurts, I want to know when you're suffering; I want to be there to help you," Gray said. "And I'm not with you just because of your contagiously cute smile, so you don't have to have it on all the time."

"This smile isn't just for you, you know. Everything that's happened, everything we've been through, there's nothing we can do about it. Good or bad, we have to live with it. It was so much easier before. Now I have to live with all this. It's hard… but… I also get to live with you. Maybe I can't smile for real right now, but I have so much reasons to be happy. I'll keep smiling so I don't forget them."

Natsu suddenly felt Gray close. It felt like he was closer than every before. "I'll never let you forget me. Whatever you need, I'll be there."

"I know Gray. But I think time is what I need right now. It's still too fresh to forget."

They entered Natsu's house, and Gray immediately led them to the bedroom. "What are you doing?" the pink-haired boy asked.

"Come on, Natsu…" Gray said like his actions had a clear meaning. Since Natsu didn't get what he meant and it probably showed on his face, his boyfriend continued. "Maybe I couldn't really see what happened in that fight, but I can see that you're barely standing. You need sleep right now, more than you need anything else."

Honestly, until Gray mentioned it, Natsu didn't feel it. He was too focused on everything that happened to feel tired. But since the raven-haired boy mentioned it, he could barely keep his eyes open. "I don't want to have another nightmare," he said, entering the bedroom.

"Don't worry about nightmares. I'll be right here. I'm sorry I can only help you so much, but I'll always make sure you're okay, even with all the things you have to go through."

Is that what Natsu wanted to hear? He had no idea. He didn't know what he wanted to hear, but maybe the words didn't even matter. If it was Gray's voice, it was enough. It was enough to reassure him, enough for him to fall asleep in a matter of seconds.

* * *

After so many nightmares, Natsu knew exactly what would happen as soon as he opened his eyes and found himself sitting at the table with three other people. But there was something different that time. That scene usually felt peaceful and happy, like the days the scene represented were, and now it felt heavy.

Even though he knew that the peaceful scene would change, Natsu always found the start of his nightmares at least a bit comforting. His parents and Zeref might be gone, but he got to meet them every night, even if it was only for a few moments. Now, that too was gone, the nightmare seemingly consuming that peaceful scene too.

Then, suddenly, Zeref turned towards Natsu, and the pink-haired boy couldn't help but think that something awful would happen.

"I'm sorry Natsu," the black-haired child said. The fire dragon slayer couldn't believe what he was hearing. In all his nightmares, nobody ever spoke to him. Sometimes he got some thoughts in his head, but he didn't remember ever hearing anyone speak in them. And now, Zeref was talking, saying something directly to him.

"Zeref?" he asked timidly. Was he allowed to hope that this wasn't just another trick his nightmares were playing on him? Was he allowed to hope that this wouldn't turn out like it did every night, the good always replaced by the horrible?

The boy smiled reassuringly at him, and Natsu realized there were tears dropping from his face. It didn't matter whether he was allowed to or not, because as soon as he heard Zeref talking, he was already hoping to have just a minute, just a second to talk to his brother. And now that it seemed he had it, he didn't know what to say.

"How long has it been?" Zeref was the first one to start talking again.

"A few months," Natsu answered, guessing his brother was asking about the invasion, about Acnologia, about his death.

Zeref looked surprised to hear how much time has passed. "I'm sorry Natsu. I thought that I could talk to you sooner. I thought that last demon would wake up faster."

It was Natsu's turn to be surprised. "You sent it after me!? I thought it was just talking trash!" Did his brother really send the demon after him? But why was he apologizing then? Did Zeref think they were both dead?

"That one was… special," the black-haired boy calmly said. "He wasn't made for fighting. After I saw you on Tenrou Island, after I saw the friends and family you made, I knew you were ready to live without me, without the restrictions of the Book of E.N.D. I made that demon so that after I'm gone, after you remember everything and have some time to process it, we could have this last talk.

"I'm sorry I caused you trouble. I had to make it strong enough to think it could defeat you, but I made sure it would never know that fire is the only thing that could never hurt you. I even sent Jacob to make sure nobody would be hurt."

"Why not just talk to me!? You talked to Gramps, Jacob, even that demon, but you left me all alone! I remembered everything, the demon power in me started to get stronger, and I had to go through all of that alone. You were gone, and you didn't say a single thing to me…"

Natsu made his own conclusions about why everything happened the way it did. He thought he knew why Zeref spoke to Gramps, why he did everything he did, and he thought he understood it. But now that he was able to speak to his brother, even with all the things he was thankful to him for, he wanted to hear that his brother never wanted to hurt him, that he always loved him.

"Natsu," Zeref said, looking hurt. "I'm sorry for everything I did, but I never left you alone. Your friends and family were with you. I made sure they would know what you went through so they would be there for you after I'm gone. And I didn't talk to anyone else but you. I left some of them a few thoughts and memories, but I couldn't talk to them like I'm talking to you now. This is only possible because you consumed that demon's flames."

"But you don't know what I had to go through after you died. You don't know how hard it's been," Natsu said.

"Do you know why, so many years ago, I decided to start dabbling in black magic, why I wanted to bring you back?"

"I left you all alone…" the pink-haired boy said, not saying that the reason his brother brought him back was so Zeref wouldn't be alone.

"Maybe," the black-haired boy said. "But then I sent you to Igneel and I was left alone again. How long did it take you to find Fairy Tail after coming through the Eclipse Gate? You've been here for a decade, and you managed to get something I didn't in more than 400 years. You have a family.

"I brought you back because I always knew you were better than me. So if you couldn't live, how could I? As your big brother, it was my job to make sure you were fine. And I couldn't accept that I failed that job, not when the person I had to protect was so good." There were tears on Zeref's face too. "Besides, you love that boy more than I could ever love anyone else, even without the Curse of Contradictions."

"Gray?" Natsu asked surprised.

"Is that what his name is?" the black-haired boy asked, a smile on his face. "He loves you too. Wouldn't you say I did my job as a big brother, making sure you were fine, connecting you two?" Zeref sounded like he wanted to hear he did a good job, that he didn't screw it up.

To Natsu, it sounded like Zeref thought his whole purpose in his life was to make sure his brother was fine. He would've argued that the black-haired boy should live his own life, fulfil his own desires, but it was already too late. He could only assure his brother that what he did in his life mattered.

"You did. Thank you. But I would've still liked it if you could've stayed with me too."

"I would've like that too," Zeref said with a sad smile.

* * *

The brothers continued talking for the entire night. It would be their first and last talk in a very, very long time. It was the only moment they had to get to know who each of them grew up to be.

After the pink-haired boy woke up, he remembered everything. He immediately had to share it all with his boyfriend, and Gray seemed happy to listen to the whole conversation that happened in Natsu's dream. Whether they believed he was really talking to the last part of Zeref that was left on the Earthland, or whether it was just the pink-haired boy's imagination that made that dream, it hardly mattered.

Even so, Natsu's wounds were just as deep as the crater the demon made. They couldn't just magically heal. Neither could his guildmates accept him and Gray being together over night.

Days passed, and the pink-haired boy was going back to being his old self bit by bit. Everyone knew he would never be who he used to be. After all, nobody stays the same throughout their lives.

Gray and Natsu stayed together, helping each other through everything. All the wounds, all the nightmares didn't matter to them. They loved each other, and that was what mattered to them.

Eventually, days would turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. Maybe the nightmares would stop, maybe everyone's wounds would turn into scares, maybe the boys' relationship would be looked in a better light. Who knows? Time affects everything in some weird ways, so there's no telling what would happen. But the thing that would always stay true, was that people who loved each other would always continue to do so. Whether others believed them or not didn't matter. Only the people who had those feelings mattered.

 **THE END**

* * *

That's it...

If you managed to read this far, you have my thanks for reading through my entire story. I hope you found it entertaining.

I guess our paths part here. Thank you for all the reviews and reads and everything. Feel free to let me know about any questions you may have that I might've not explained in the story, or anything else you may have questions about.

Have a good day/week/month/year/decade/century. :D


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